


Bewitching the Other Guy

by ANGSWIN



Series: The Magic and Heroes Crossover Collection [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bonding, Companionable Snark, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Literary/TV/Movie References, Not HP Epilogue or CC Compliant, Romance, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-01-15 20:25:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12328254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANGSWIN/pseuds/ANGSWIN
Summary: Several years after the war, Hermione Granger moves 'across the pond' for a fresh start - and gets more than she expected when she finds herself in the middle of the Battle of New York!





	1. A New Beginning and A New Friend

[](https://postimages.org/) [](https://postimages.org/)

(Special thanks to Methos2523 for creating the awesome new piece of fanart next to my collage aesthetic.)

 

**A New Beginning**

Several years after the final battle at Hogwarts, Hermione found herself dissatisfied with her increasingly stagnating lifestyle.  She was still single while all of her childhood friends were married and had children.  Her work at the Ministry went unnoticed and unappreciated since the pureblood Old Guard was still resistant to change. Her parents were safe and sound in Australia, however, they still had no memories of their daughter since their wartime _Obliviates_ had proved to be irreversible.  Consequently, Hermione soon realized that she had nothing to keep her in England anymore.  Therefore, she decided to make a daring move instead. 

 Hermione packed up Crookshanks and the belongings in her modest flat.  She said her goodbyes to Harry, Ron, and the rest of her friends - and promised to keep in touch.  After all, it was quite easy to travel when one had magic.  Then she moved across the pond to New York!  She had visited there several times since the war ended and had loved the widespread American policy of equal rights and integration that had even heavily influenced the magical population there.  Everything that she had been trying to achieve in vain in England was already in practice in America (in general) and in New York (in particular).  She even loved the fact that New York had its own small group of superheroes, called the Avengers, that regularly did what a ragtag group of youngsters had once done in England – fight the bad guys in order to keep everyone else safe!   Therefore, the decision to move was easy- especially once she had happily used her savings, as well as the substantial monetary award that went along with her Order of Merlin: First Class that she had received for her services and sacrifices during the war, to buy something that her heart had always desired – a book shop. 

 _T_ _ome, Text, & Treatise_ wasn’t just a typical bookstore, however.  It served _both_ the magical and nonmagical higher education and intellectual communities.  The magical side opened up straight from Liberty Lane (New York’s version of Diagon Alley) and carried everything from ancient spellbooks to the newest editions of the required textbooks on Ilvermorny’s supply list.  The nonmagical side opened up from an idyllic side street (Wisteria Avenue) in a small quiet Manhattan college community and carried everything that such a neighborhood could want, as well – such as books about art history and the modern classics, as well as the latest scientific journals.  Hermione and Crookshanks lived in the apartment above the shop, so she had easy access to both worlds and she made a point to employ young witches and wizards who could comfortably straddle them both, as well.  Therefore, all in all, since the move, she could honestly say that she was the happiest that she had ever been – except for perhaps when she first found out that she was a witch.  Perhaps one day she would be able to find someone to share that happiness with her, but for now she was able to be content with what she had.

  **A New Friend**

With her immersion into both the wizarding and nonmagical aspects of American culture, it was no surprise that a couple of years later, Hermione found herself thrown into the superhero world as well.  Somehow, during what should have been a simple trip to her favorite museum, she found herself in the middle of the Battle of New York.  The main arena of fighting seemed to be in the center of the city where the Avengers were actively engaged with the invaders.  However, plenty spilled over into the wings – such as where Hermione was located.

 She didn’t know what they were, only that they came from the opening in the sky – which she assumed was a wormhole of some sort.  Therefore, they were probably either aliens or beings from another dimension.  Whatever they were, they were destroying the city…and its people.  Therefore, Hermione did what she had always done best.  She protected those that could not protect themselves.   She used every blasting spell that she could think of to knock the metal-armored warriors, and their vehicles, out of the sky one by one.  She did this each time one of the invasion force broke off from the main arena of fighting to head her way – and she could only hope that other witches and wizards were doing the same thing in other parts of the city.  In her location, however, she was completely alone with no assistance - and so continued to fight on her own until she panted with exhaustion.  Therefore, she didn’t notice the warrior on an air sled type vehicle (She later found out that they were called chariots.) headed straight for her – until it was knocked off course by the big green body that suddenly stepped between her and it. Hermione watched as it crashed and exploded before she turned back to her rescuer – who eyed her speculatively.

 “Thank you…Big Guy.”  Out of habit, she spoke to him slowly and carefully, the same way she would have done with Grawp.  She recognized him from the TV and newspapers as the super that they called the “Hulk.”  However, other than that, she did not know much else about him – nobody did.  Apparently, when he wasn’t out smashing things, he kept a very low profile – which was really quite ironic considering his large size and vibrant color!  At any rate, she continued to explain the situation to him. “I’ve been watching you and I can tell that you are one of the good guys – so am I.  See!” She showed him the giant pile of debris from the fallen metal snake-thing (She was later told that it was called a Leviathan.)  that she had blasted out of the air as it had hurtled towards a nearby elementary school.  He just grunted, but she thought that he looked rather impressed, as well. 

All of a sudden, she saw another warrior in an air sled headed straight for her new friend.  “Watch out!”  she shouted.  He barely had time to turn around before she sent a blasting curse behind him – which destroyed the incoming threat immediately.  He grunted his appreciation just as several more bore down on them.  Hermione realized that the Big Guy made a much more obvious target for them than she did.  Therefore, she quickly cast a Disillusionment charm over her new fighting partner.  He shivered at the raw egg feeling and she had just enough time to admit that she had effectively camouflaged him and that he was all-but-invisible to everybody but her.  His grin of anticipation convinced her that he understood what she had said and that he was going to take full advantage of the new development.  By that time, the sleds were upon them, however, and there was no more chance to talk.  It was time to fight, instead

 The disillusioned Hulk wreaked havoc as he jumped from sled to sled and effectively disabled them and their drivers.  Confused by the enemy that they could not see, the warriors turned their weapons on anything that moved – including each other!  Therefore, Hermione kept an eye out for the Hulk’s safety, as well as on his progress, while she blasted several more sleds out of the air to protect him as he made his way towards one of the giant metal snakes.  After it had crashed to the ground in a fiery pile, she felt herself being picked up and carried as the Hulk jumped to higher ground on top of a building. Surprisingly, she felt no fear in his strong arms – quite the opposite, in fact.  She was even able to relax enough to rest for just a moment - until they reached their destination.  He then set her down gently and she noticed that they had a much clearer view of their surroundings from up there.  Together, they looked down at the carnage. 

 “Hulk smash!” her companion said fiercely - pointing down at the wreckage. 

 “Yes.  Yes, you did.  Good job!”  She agreed and patted him on his thickly muscled arm while he grinned at her in an uncharacteristically happy way. “And now you get to do it again,” she said as she sighed and pointed off to the side where several more sleds suddenly came into view and headed straight towards them.  Before long, together they had taken out those sleds, and several more as well - before the battle finally died down around them altogether.

 “Okay, Big Guy,” she then said in a voice thick with exhaustion as she removed his Disillusionment charm.  “I have to go now before the rest of your crowd finds me.  I don’t know how they would feel about what I did here today and I don’t want to give away my secret, yet – if I haven’t done so already.”  She spoke in a normal voice to him now that she could tell that he did not have the same childlike innocence that Hagrid’s half-brother did and that he was a vast deal more intelligent, as well – even if he didn’t speak very much.  Then she reached up and gently stroked the big green face – causing the Hulk to blink in surprise.  Fighting together as a team had changed the dynamic between them and she suddenly felt a great deal of affection for the large odd-colored man.  She would have liked the opportunity to get to know him better, but she didn’t want to cause any problems by revealing her true nature to the rest of the Avengers.  Therefore, it was with quite a bit of regret that she told him, “Goodbye, then!” and gave a little wave.  Before the Hulk could blink again, she was gone.  She had disappeared into thin air!

 “Pretty Witch!” the Hulk rumbled sadly, right before he noticed the tiny speck that fell out of the sky where the wormhole had previously been.  He decided to take a closer look and managed to get there just in time to keep Iron Man from smashing to his death.

 


	2. The Coffee Shop Encounter

About six weeks after the battle with the Chitauri, Bruce was on his way back to headquarters after running some personal errands.  Suddenly, on a whim, he decided to stop for some coffee and pastries.  Tony, for all of his faults, had been amazingly supportive of him and he thought that he would take the man a treat as a small token of gratitude and friendship.  He also picked up something for Steve and Clint since they tended to hang around the Tower between missions, as well.  Plus, Clint was on edge since Nat was currently on an assignment for SHIELD somewhere in Eastern Europe without him and wasn’t due back for at least a week or two.  Therefore, he would probably appreciate a little pick-me-up, as well.  Thanks to the generous salary that Tony had offered him in exchange for his research skills and his work in the lab, he was now able to afford these little luxuries.  He let out a sigh when he thought about the fact that he had come a long way since his lonely life on the run - and he wanted to keep it that way! 

After he had paid for everything, he struggled to get a handle on both the bulky drinks tray and the multiple pastry bags – especially since his glasses threatened to slip off of the end of his nose at the same time.  _Sometimes,_ he thought wistfully, _having_ _the Other Guy’s big hands could prove useful_.

 Just then, a pleasant feminine voice with a distinctive British accent said to him, “Here, let me help with that.”  That particular voice tickled something in his memory, but he couldn’t quite place why it seemed so familiar.  Then the owner of that lovely voice reached out to gently push his glasses back up to where they belonged and the bridge of his nose tingled pleasantly where she had touched it with her bare fingers.  Next, she picked up the pastry bags and balanced them strategically on top of the drink tray.  “There you go,” she declared cheerfully.  “That should work until you get where you are going.” 

 “Thank you,” he responded sincerely and smiled as she finally looked up.  Their eyes met and he gazed into a pair of warm brown ones that were set into a pretty face framed with lots of lively hair.  Again, he felt that odd little tickle in his memory - even though he was almost positive that they had never met before.  He definitely would have remembered meeting someone like her!  Just as he considered asking for her name, however, she spoke again.

 “You’re quite welcome,” she replied and smiled warmly as she picked up her own drink.  “Here, let me open the door for you, too.”  She then courteously held it for him while he passed through and then she followed him out of the shop.  She paused for just a moment, and they looked at each other almost shyly before she gave him a little goodbye wave, and then continued on down the street.

 At the sight of the strangely familiar little wave, he felt a surge of excitement as the Other Guy’s consciousness stirred to life deep within him.  _Pretty Witch!_ the Other Guy rumbled happily - leaving Bruce looking bewildered after the woman walking away from him down the street.  It was a very rare occurrence for him to actually be able to hear his alter-ego’s thoughts and Bruce wondered why he had called her that.  All of a sudden, however, the memories of the Other Guy’s interactions with the mystery girl during the battle with the Chitauri came rushing back.  He saw her skillfully sending one blasting spell after another towards the enemy and he saw her save his alter-ego’s big green hide several times - while he returned the favor for her, as well.  He then remembered their affectionate goodbye and felt the Other Guy’s regret when she had disappeared. 

 Bruce shook his head after the onslaught of the memories and felt a moment of shock.  He had not remembered that any of that had happened.  However, it was no wonder that she had felt so familiar to him if they had been through all of that together.  He finally realized that he had to catch her.  “Wait!” he yelled after her desperately, but she had already turned the corner.  He rushed to that intersection, but all he found was an empty alleyway.  She had disappeared into thin air – again!

 Bruce was frustrated beyond belief.  Why hadn’t he asked her name when he had the chance?  Now, he didn’t know who she was or where he could possibly find her again.  Therefore, there was nothing he could do but head back to the Avengers Tower.  Maybe the others would have some ideas about what should happen next.

* * *

“Tony!” Bruce called out while he unceremoniously dumped the coffee tray and pastry bags on the table when he entered the mid-level lounge, or whatever the hell Tony called it.  “I need your help.  I need to find a girl!”

 “Well, I’ve been telling you that since we met,” Tony commented smoothly as he sauntered into the room.  “The Big Guy wouldn’t get so angry if he had a little…stress relief… if you know what I mean.  Hmm…let’s see.  I know this pretty little Asian massage therapist…”

 “No!” Bruce exclaimed impatiently.  He didn’t have time for Tony’s nonsense right then.  “I need to find a _specific_ girl!  The Other Guy apparently met her at the battle and he just recognized her at the coffee shop as she helped me with all of this.” He paused and gestured to the stuff on the table.  “However, she disappeared before I could say or do anything.  I have no idea who she is, so I thought that we could pull up the CCTV footage from that street and cross reference it with your facial recognition software.”

 “What? The battle?  The Big Guy met a girl - then?” Steve’s voice asked in bewilderment from the other side of the room.

 “Yes!” Bruce exclaimed eagerly as he turned around to face the Captain and saw Clint sitting over there, as well.  He had been so distracted, that he had not even noticed their presence!  However, he quickly told them what had happened.  “My memories as the Other Guy are always fuzzy, at best.  However, I’ve suspected for a long time that he does it on purpose so I won’t remember exactly how much chaos he caused.  Therefore, all I vaguely remembered about that day, when he was separated from you guys, was that at some point he saw a girl.  Therefore, I didn’t think too much about it.   However, I met her …in person…today and the Other Guy got…interested…even excited…about seeing her!  Then he spoke to me and voluntarily gave me those memories back!  It was as if he was proud of them…and proud of her!”  Bruce paused for a moment as he thought about all he had seen and felt in those memories.  “Also…I think…well…I got the impression that he actually _liked_ her, too!” he continued in an amazed tone, now that he had time to consider the implications of it all.  “However, I just don’t understand that.  He doesn’t like anybody…not even me!  You guys know that he even attacked Nat that time, but he never went after this girl…not once.  It was quite the opposite, actually!  He protected her…”  His voice then trailed off in confusion.

 “Aww,” said Tony with his normal irreverence. “Even the Not-so-Jolly Green Giant gets the hots for a girl every now and then!  How does that work, I wonder?  I mean, is everything…proportional…in size?  Would he even be able to stay angry…during…?” 

 The other three men just ignored him.  They were too used to him by now to take anything he said seriously - especially when he was apparently stuck in frat boy mode.

 “What was it about this particular girl that caught the Other Guy’s attention?” Clint asked curiously as he came up to the table to fetch his coffee and fish a Danish out of one of the bags. “What did she look like?”

 “Well, she was _quite_ pretty.  However, it was more in an understated way – nothing that would stand out in a crowd – not like Nat, anyway,” Bruce replied honestly and Clint nodded his understanding.  Tasha just oozed raw sex appeal and, as an agent, she cultivated that to work for her.  Therefore, most men (and even some women) couldn’t help but to notice her.  Clint knew that he was one lucky man, but he constantly had to stop himself from stabbing his arrows into the eyeballs of some of the more obvious gawkers.

 Then, Bruce continued.  “She also had a lovely British accent.”

 “Really?” Steve asked with interest - while thinking about Peggy.  “Accents are very…attractive.  Could that be what the Big Guy liked?”

“Wait a minute!” Tony exclaimed from the other side of the room, after stuffing the last bit of his pastry into his mouth.  “Lots of people have British accents.  Heck, even the bookstore lady that delivers my science journals every month sounds like Mary Poppins.  I will even introduce you to her next time, if you want.  She’s quite attractive, too, if you are into that nerdy type sort of thing.  Come to think of it, she would probably be perfect for you!"  He paused to smirk for a moment.  "However, back to the situation at hand…I think that we’re overlooking the obvious here.  You said the Big Green Guy spoke to you.  That’s not normal, is it?  What did he say?”

 Bruce suddenly realized that he had been so caught up in thinking about the lovely young woman and how the Other Guy had reacted to her that he not told them the most important part.  “You guys don’t understand,” he explained. “She wasn’t just _at_ the battle, she was _fighting_ in it!  He sent me the memories of her blasting the Chitauri chariots out of the air with nothing but her bare hands and flashes of red light.  She had downed a Leviathan by herself right before he arrived.  I believe that is what caught his attention in the first place. Then they started to work _together_ to bring the rest of them down.  That’s odd enough, but apparently, they even saved each other a few times, as well.”  Then he cleared his throat and looked a little embarrassed as he said, “The Other Guy called her… _Pretty Witch.”_

 “A witch!”  exclaimed Steve and Clint at the same time while Tony just nodded.

 “Well, that explains the attraction, then,” he stated smugly. “She’s obviously some sort of kick-ass super…just like the rest of us!”

 


	3. Introspection

Hermione sighed as she threw her empty coffee cup into the small rubbish bin under her desk.   She had thought about the man from the coffee shop all the way back to the Wisteria Avenue entrance of _TT &T_.  There was something compelling about him, but she just couldn’t figure out exactly what it was.  His intelligent chocolate brown eyes and his dark wavy hair, with just a hint of gray, were quite attractive - but not gorgeous enough to make him stand out in a crowd or anything.  However, maybe it was the glasses and the button down purple shirt that he was wearing.  They added a bit of a scholarly vibe that she really liked. Maybe it was the way his cuffs were slightly rolled up, showing off his muscular forearms.  She sighed again.  Maybe it was just because she had been single way too long.  Whatever it was, she guessed that it didn’t matter now, though.  They had not even exchanged names and she knew nothing about him.  Therefore, she didn’t need to be a mathematician to know that the odds of running into him again – especially in Manhattan - were not good.  That meant that there had been _two_ very intriguing men, if you counted the Hulk, that she had met recently but had no hope of ever seeing again.  Hence the sigh.

It wouldn’t do to brood, though.  She still had a book shop to run.  Therefore, she got back to ordering next semester’s books for the nearby colleges while her big orange half-kneazle cat stretched out on the desk next to her computer.   As her fingers flew across the keyboard, she felt grateful, yet again, that the American magical community had found a way to embrace technology into their day-to-day life instead of shunning it in favor of more traditional methods the way that the British did.  She was especially thankful about this since over half her business was conducted online. For her whole magical childhood, she had been taught that wizardry wasn’t compatible with technology, when really that wasn’t the case at all!  All it took was a few specialized charms and…Voila!...any technology that you wanted to use was buffered from the magical field.  It was quite simple, really. Therefore, not for the first time, she just shook her head at the outdated thinking of the wizarding community in her homeland.

She continued to think about the differences between the way that magic was perceived in Britain and how the Americans used it.  It was just like being told that wandless magic wasn’t possible, or that is was too difficult to learn, while she was at Hogwarts.  However, that turned out to be quite the misrepresentation, as well.  In actuality, it had not taken her very long at all to learn that skill.  After all, even toddlers could perform wandless magic, albeit accidentally!  In reality, for an adult, it was simply a matter of relearning how to channel the magic through the body - instead of the wand.  It took a little more effort in the beginning.  However, with practice, she felt that it was much easier to control the force, scope, and speed of her magic when she used her bare hands.  Even though she still always carried her wand with her (shrunken and disillusioned – just in case…) she knew that she would never go back to using it full-time.  Plus, she knew that she would not have been able to take out as many Chitauri warriors (She had researched them online soon after the battle and that is what all of the conspiracy theorists were calling them.) either with or without the Hulk’s help that day if she had been using traditional wand magic.  Therefore, there was a good chance that either she or the Hulk, or quite possibly both of them, would not have made it through that experience alive, otherwise. 

 She knew, however, that it all really boiled down to overall attitude of the culture.  Brits usually relied on tradition and experience - which often told them “No!”  Meanwhile, the Americans loved to experiment and push boundaries – and often continued to do so until they found a result that ended in a resounding “Yes!” She often wondered how fantastic it probably would have been to have learned magic growing up here in the States – especially since she was constantly fascinated with how open-minded and forward thinking that her employees were.  They were all graduates of the Ilvermorny School of Magic, but they had all also decided to earn advanced degrees from the nearby nonmagical universities, as well.  The dividing line between magical and nonmagical just wasn’t nearly as defined and inflexible in the US as it was back home.  As a Muggleborn, that was both amazing and heartwarming to her and just another reason that she was glad to have made the move to New York!

 She then shook her head to clear out the daydreams and got back to work.  Once she had finished the textbook orders, she started to put together the monthly Stark package.  Tony Stark had a standing order for every issue of every academic scientific journal that she could find.  Apparently, he liked to keep up with all of the newest research.  Also, according to his business partner and girlfriend, Pepper, he preferred the hard copies, instead of electronic ones, so that he could read them while relaxing in the bath.  They had enjoyed a good giggle about that over a cup of tea during one of her usual monthly deliveries.  As two strong, intelligent, and busy women, neither one of them had the time or inclination to socialize very much – especially with other women.  However, they really enjoyed each other’s nonjudgmental company and, therefore, she normally dealt with Pepper during her deliveries. Gradually, however, these deliveries had turned more into casual social visits between friends.

 However, she had met the man himself at the Tower many times, as well.  Despite his sarcasm and an annoying tendency to call her stereotypical English names, like Judi Dench and Margaret Thatcher, she found him to be very personable and even quite witty at times.  She even found that she enjoyed exchanging snarky remarks with him whenever he joined them during what he called their “Girly Club meetings.”  She obviously also knew about his alter-ego, Iron Man (Who in New York, didn’t?), and about his role in the Avengers – especially since she made her monthly deliveries to what was now called the Avengers Tower.  However, she had known heroes practically her whole life.  Her best friend was still Harry Potter, after all – even if they were separated by an ocean now – and she was even considered to be one herself back home.  Therefore, she wasn’t starstruck and she didn’t fangirl over Tony or his alter-ego.  She thought that both he and Pepper secretly appreciated that.  Therefore, she had been able to form a good working friendship with the power couple that had also led to the occasional low key social outing to dinner or the theatre.  She had also been invited to many parties at the Tower, but she never attended those.  Since the war, and the ensuing publicity madness, she preferred to stay out of the limelight and focused on quiet and intimate evenings with her friends, instead. 

 Thinking about the Avengers, however, obviously brought her thoughts back to the Hulk.  He had been on her mind a lot since that day and she would have liked to be able to find out how he was doing and to see if he was okay after the battle.  However, she had never seen him, or any of the other supers at the Tower before - probably because the place was huge! Therefore, she didn’t even hope for that now.  Nonetheless, she wondered if there was a casual way in which she could bring the subject up to Pepper next time - without giving away her own involvement…and, consequently, her secret.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bruce ignored his work in the lab for the rest of the day in favor of hacking into the city’s security mainframe and scouring the CCTV for footage of his mystery woman.  He found the video of them outside of the coffee shop easily enough since he knew the approximate time that it had occurred.  Unfortunately, however, the young woman in question did not look towards the camera at any point during their interaction!  

 “Shit!” Bruce exclaimed as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustrated disappointment.  He knew that the facial recognition software could not work without at least one clear shot of her face.  He decided to try again and searched for footage of her after she turned down that alley, but try as he might, he just couldn’t find any.  It was as if she had just disappeared.  He remembered that the Other Guy had called her a witch, albeit a pretty one, and realized that might be able to explain the vanishing act.  If she really had some sort of magical power, then there was no reason to believe that she could not always come and go at will – just as she had after the battle.  However, it just made his efforts to find her a lot harder, he realized. 

 Again, he wondered exactly why he was doing all of this.  Yes, he found her intriguing and attractive and he definitely wouldn’t mind seeing her again.  However, why did he feel so compelled to find her?  He could only guess that it had something to do with the Other Guy and his fascination with her, too. That little frisson of excitement that ran through him every time he thought about seeing the _Pretty Witch_ again seemed to confirm this theory.  The thought made Bruce sigh.  Even if he was able to find her by some miracle, though, he didn’t exactly know what he would do then.  It wasn’t as if he could just go up to her and say, “Hey, sometimes I turn into a big green monster when I get angry…and he wanted me to find you!  By the way, I find you quite attractive, as well.  Would you care to go out to dinner with me?”  Bruce just shook his head at how ridiculous all of that sounded – even if it was true!  It didn’t really matter now, however.  It didn’t look like he was going to be able to ever find her again – not without a direct act of providence, anyway!


	4. The Direct Act of Providence

Several days later, Hermione and her package were cleared to enter the Tower, as usual, by the head of security.  He was a man known to her only as “Happy” – even though she had yet to see him even crack a smile.  Once inside the building, however, Hermione was surprised to be met by Tony himself.

“Apologies, M’lady,” he said with a fake English accent that was so horrible that it was actually quite funny.  He then gave her a mock-courteous bow (complete with hand flourish) as he took the heavy box from her.  Then he continued to explain - in his normal voice.  “I’m afraid that you will have to forgo girly talk with your tea today.  Pepper had to go out of town unexpectedly, so you are stuck with me!”

Hermione gave a little laugh at his antics before answering.  “I guess that I can live with that, Tony.  My two best friends since childhood are blokes, after all.  Therefore, I am used to bad manners, bodily noises, and juvenile behavior.” 

“Touché, Bookstore Lady, touché.” Tony conceded the point as he led her into the mid-level lounge or whatever it was called to differentiate it from the low level and high level ones that he liked to utilize for parties.  Normally, she had tea with Pepper in her office sitting room.  However, they had often ended up here in this lounge whenever Tony joined their little party.  Therefore, she was very familiar with the ultra-modern open room with the amazing views of the city.  She sat in her usual spot in one of the end chairs, and set her bag at her feet. Tony went to the one diagonally across from her, sat his box down on the table, and started to unpack it.  She watched, quite amused, as he picked up each journal and read its cover – all the while acting as excited as a little kid at Christmas.

“Let’s see… dark matter – Cool!…genetic engineering – Reminds me of Cap!…string theory – Boorriinngg!…and…Oooh, there is an article on anti-electron collisions in this one.  Dr. Banner will want to see that.  He’s totally into that kind of thing.  In fact,” here Tony paused as he looked up from the journal to smirk slyly at Hermione.  “I think that I will call him in now.  I know that he will want to meet you.  He likes English girls, you know!”

Before she could do more than splutter in protest, he went to the staircase and yelled up for the other man to join them so that he could meet Audrey Hepburn. 

After just a moment, she heard a slightly familiar voice respond and her breath hitched. _Could it be?_ she wondered.  She had only heard him speak a couple of words, after all. 

“What the hell are you yelling about, Tony?” asked the voice as its owner descended the stairs.  “How am I supposed to meet Audrey Hepburn when she’s been dead for…” his voice trailed off as soon as he stepped into the room properly and he saw the woman sitting there. Her warm eyes, pretty face, and spirited hair were unmistakable! His heart skipped a beat. “You!” he whispered in disbelief.

He stared at her incredulously and at the same time the Other Guy roared to life inside of him.  _Pretty Witch!_ his alter-ego exclaimed excitedly, even though no one but Bruce could hear him.  Even though he found that he could not stop the smile that automatically rose to his lips, Bruce himself struggled to figure out what to say as he walked towards her and then sat, half-perched, on the edge of the chair adjacent to the one that she had chosen.  “So… _you’re_ Mary Poppins…I mean…the bookshop owner whom Tony was going on about?”  

Even though she couldn’t help but to return his smile with a delighted one of her own, she didn’t answer his question immediately.  Instead, she looked closely at the attractive man whom she had been thinking about for the past few days as Coffee Shop Guy.  He had swapped out his purple shirt for a blue one, but otherwise he looked exactly the same.  “So… _you’re_ the one who likes English girls?”  she asked lightheartedly in return – as she tried to figure out whether she was more amused or astonished about this massive coincidence.  What was he _…_ her mystery man _…_ doing here in the Tower?

“What? Oh no!  Please tell me that he didn’t say that?” Bruce asked, sounding horrified.  “Tony?”  He found his voice rising as he threw a glance at the man who was lounging on the couch closest to them and nonchalantly inspecting his nails.   After her amused nod of affirmation, he rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment as he muttered, “Oh, I am so going to kill you,” to his wayward friend.

Tony just looked up from his nails and grinned unrepentantly as he said, “So, do you two want to tell me what is going on here or do I need to start throwing out some more innuendos?  You both know that they are my specialty.  Plus, Pepper’s not here, so I can totally get away with it!”  He clapped his hands with excitement at the idea before looking over at his friend.  “So, Brucie Boy, how do you know Emma Watson here?” he asked, gesturing towards the young woman.

“Honestly, Tony!” she interrupted.  “It’s been two years.  Do you even _know_ what my name is?” She shook her head at him in a mixture of amusement and exasperation while she extended her hand out to the other man.  “Since we haven’t _officially_ met, yet, I am Hermione…Hermione Granger…and yes, _Tome, Text, and Treatise_ is my store.  Are you _really_ Dr. Banner - or does he not know your name, either?”

Bruce just laughed at that as he took her proffered hand and felt a secret thrill as the small and delicate hand felt surprisingly strong in his own.  _Pretty Witch…Tough!_ the Other Guy reminded him in an admiring tone.  He tried to ignore that, as well as the pleasant tingle her touch left, as he spoke up himself.  “Yes, I _am_ Bruce Banner – even though I can understand your confusion.  Tony is not exactly…trustworthy…when it comes to names…or anything else, really.”  She let out a peal of laughter at that purposeful understatement, and both Bruce and the Other Guy thought it sounded delightful!  Even the usually cynical Tony smiled at the sound, as well.

Bruce then turned to the man and carefully worded his explanation.  “Tony, this is the…woman…whom I was telling you about.  The one who I met the other day when I was out getting coffee…”  his voice trailed off as he silently willed Tony to understand what he was _not_ saying, what he _couldn’t_ say in front of her right then.

Fortunately, Tony caught on quickly. “Oh, Bookstore Lady is also Coffee Shop Girl!” he exclaimed.  He then looked between Bruce and Hermione intently.  “Really?” he asked again in slight disbelief and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Hermione as if he had never seen her before.  “That means that…” his voice trailed off at the evil eye that Bruce quickly shot him - along with an almost imperceptible headshake.  That caused Tony to quickly shut his mouth.  However, it didn’t stop him from grinning maniacally instead!  “Oh, this is going to be good!” he crowed.  He calmed down, though, as Hermione gave him a curious look.  With a quick change of tactics, he turned to Bruce.  “Dr. Banner, why don’t you fix the pretty English lady a cup of tea while I go put these away.”  He then hefted up the heavy box, leaving just one journal on the table.  He turned and gave Bruce a wink before looking back at Hermione and affecting the horrible English accent again.  “M’lady, I insist that you take pity upon us wretched men, who are simply starved for female companionship, and stay for dinner!  I’ll have the cook bake up some scones or something.”  Then, without waiting for an answer, he left the room.

Hermione gave a small sigh at Tony’s behavior, which turned into a little giggle as she looked at Bruce.  “Is he _always_ that stereotypically offensive to everyone…or am I just a lucky girl?” she asked with her lips quirked up into a small amused smile at the thought of the person that acted more like a cross between an annoying little brother and a smart-mouthed teenager than anything else.

“Unfortunately, yes – he’s always that way!” Bruce replied without hesitation, even though inside he was still marveling at the small miracle of…his mystery lady…and her presence in the Tower – especially now that he was alone with her.  “However, if it is any consolation, I think that he means well - deep deep _deep_ down inside!”  Then, reassured by Hermione’s light answering laugh that she wasn’t actually offended by the man, he asked, “How about that cup of tea then…or…since I am _not_ Tony and would hate to presume…would you prefer coffee…or maybe even something cold to drink?” 

“Actually, tea would be lovely. Thank you,” Hermione replied, quite pleased that he, at least, seemed to have some manners - unlike the other men in the Tower.  She then watched silently as Bruce went to work at the impressive looking beverage bar.  She watched him prepare the tea and thought that he certainly looked like he knew what he was doing.  However, what she couldn’t see was that while his hands were moving, his mind was working overtime, as well, grateful for a couple of moments to compose himself and get his thoughts in order after the shock of finding her there.  He was thinking about how personable and attractive he found her.  He also wondered what they should talk about first - and how he should broach the really important subjects.  Despite his preoccupation, however, after just a few minutes, he was able to present her with a perfect cup of tea as he sat down beside her again with one of his own.

“Oh, I’m impressed,” she said honestly after just a sip.  She then favored him with a big beautiful smile which did something strange to his insides - and even made the Other Guy stir a bit.  “Have you spent time in England?” she asked innocently.  She was completely unaware of his inner turmoil – mainly because she was too preoccupied with her own.  She was keenly aware of the appealing man next to her and wondered what she should do about it.

 “Not really more than a cursory visit during my college days, I’m afraid,” he answered, slightly distracted by the thoughts that were on a similar track to hers.   “However, I have recently spent several years in India.  Tea is a way of life there, even more so than in England.”

Hermione nodded in understanding.  “One of my roommates at school was from India.  She certainly drank more tea than I did – and that is saying something!” 

A slight lull in the conversation then descended upon them as they both tried to figure out what to say next as the surprise of their _reunion_ started to wear off.  However, Hermione’s eyes soon fell on the lone journal left on the table in front of them.  “So, Doctor Bruce Banner, what exactly is your area of expertise?” she asked curiously.  Pointing to the journal, she continued, “Tony said that anti-electron collisions were your _thing._ Does that mean that you are a nuclear physicist?”

Bruce felt his mouth fall open at her surprisingly quick and accurate deduction.  However, he shouldn’t have been surprised since he remembered that Tony himself had called her _that nerdy type._ She was obviously as intelligent as she was attractive!  He found that he really liked that, but he did not want to seem too eager.  Therefore, he answered casually, “Yes, that’s right.  Do you know much about the field?”

“Not really,” Hermione said seriously, “but I love to watch “The Big Bang Theory!”

Bruce just stared at her.  He was not really sure how to answer that – even though he understood the reference.  Then, Hermione suddenly laughed at the look on his face. 

“I’m just kidding, Bruce!  Even though that Sheldon really does crack me up!  However, you seem much more like the Leonard type to me.”  Then she grinned so cheerfully at him that he couldn’t help but to return it with one of his own – especially when he remembered from his limited experience with the show that Leonard was the one who actually ended up with the pretty neighbor.  Therefore, they sat there, grinning like fools at each other for a moment until Hermione realized that the look on his face could actually make her quite weak in the knees…and she wasn’t even standing up!  She flushed at the thought, and consequently grabbed her tote bag off of the floor as a reason to look away from him for a moment in order to compose herself.  Meanwhile, she continued the conversation.  “Seriously, though, you should visit my shop sometime.  Even though I am by no means an expert myself, I have a huge Physics section – thanks in no small part to the Tech university right down the street and to my assistant manager who is also working on a physics mastery.”  She then reached into the bag, and dug around for a minute before she pulled out a card and handed it to him.  Then, she hesitated for just a moment before she met his eyes and said softly, “Don’t worry…I won’t mind if you just browse – especially if you come after six o’clock and bring dinner with you!”

 

 


	5. A Little Clarification & A New Set of Boys

**A Little Clarification**

 Bruce took her card carefully, very aware that she had just given him the way and means to contact her again.  In fact, if he was not mistaken, she just asked him on a date!  The idea sent a little shiver of excitement through him as he considered how he should answer.  Normally, he would have declined immediately - because of the Other Guy.  However, with her…it was different…and he certainly couldn’t deny that he was interested… _very_ interested.  Therefore, he found that he couldn’t stop the wide smile that spread across his face again, as he said with sincerity, “I would like that!”

 “Excellent,” she said, feeling vastly relieved and, if she was being honest, a little warm because of the gorgeous grin that he had just aimed at her again.  She had gone out on a limb just then by asking him out - something she didn’t ordinarily do.  However, she really wanted to find out what was so compelling about the mild mannered scientist sitting next to her.  Why hadn’t she been able to get him out of her mind since their brief meeting?  Why was he affecting her so _physically_ now? Consequently, she decided to keep their conversation going – especially since she just wanted to know more about him, as well. “Now…tell me, Dr. Banner, what is a nice nuclear physicist like you doing in a tower like this?” 

 He smirked with amusement at her phrasing.  _Attractive, intelligent, and witty...and that’s not even considering her big secret!_ he thought with a considerable amount of interest. _This woman could certainly keep me on my toes!  Therefore, I need to handle this carefully._   “Mainly R&D – even though this is now the Avengers Tower, we still have labs here for Stark Industries.  Plus, I help out the Avengers team whenever they need me.” He answered honestly, but struggled with how much to tell her.  He didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want to reveal too much too soon and scare her off.  She obviously had her own reasons for keeping her abilities a secret.  Plus, he didn’t know how she _really_ felt about the Other Guy, yet.  Would she be horrified at the thought of his alter-ego?  Somehow, judging by their previous interactions, he didn’t think so – or at least he hoped not.  However, he didn’t want to push his luck today since everything was going so well! 

 “Do you know the supers well?”  she asked him, unintentionally interrupting his reverie.  She purposely tried to sound casual.  However, she finally saw her chance to get some information about the Hulk – and she was going to take it – even if it felt a little odd to be asking him about another man!

 “Some better than others,” he said truthfully.  _Is she trying to ask about the Other Guy?_ he wondered with no small amount of hope.  Then he paused and decided to give her an opening to do so by asking her, “Is there anything in particular that you would like to know, Ms. Granger?”

 She gave another little laugh.  “Please call me Hermione. Otherwise, you remind me _entirely_ too much of some of my former professors from boarding school,” she replied.  “And no…nothing specific,” she demurred, trying not to sound too eager. “I’m just curious.  I’ve never _really_ met any of them - other than Tony.  However, I’m pretty sure that I can’t judge the rest of the team by my interactions with him.”

 “I would hope not!” he exclaimed and they both laughed again as they continued to dance around the subject that interested them both.  “They are all great – all very friendly and helpful in their own ways.”  Here he paused for just a second before he decided to just go for it, “except for the Big Green Guy, of course.”

 “The Hulk?” she asked eagerly this time, even though her eyes avoided his and were trained on the bag that was still in her lap instead - as she absentmindedly traced the pattern of the fabric with her finger.  This is what she had been waiting for, but she tried to continue to play it cool.  “I must admit that I am quite curious about him.  What is he like?”

  _This is it,_ he thought nervously.  “Well… he has a bit of an anger problem…and he smashes things,” Bruce answered honestly as he watched her intently.  He wondered if it was a good or bad sign that she wouldn’t look at him.

 “Yeah, I kind of figured that,” she said with a light snicker, from which he took heart - but she still didn’t look up.  “I really meant…well… otherwise.  What is he like when he is _not_ smashing?” 

 “He’s usually very…quiet.”  Bruce replied truthfully while he searched her still-downturned face looking for some sign of…well…anything.

 “But is he okay?” she asked, finally raising her eyes to meet his and he was able to see the concern there.

 Bruce was astonished!  _She actually cares about what happens to the Other Guy,_ he thought with amazement.  “Yeah…he’s okay,” he answered softly and he saw the relief flash in her eyes and the tension release from her shoulders.  Her surprising reaction sent his mind into turmoil again as he thought about it.  Sure, people had occasionally been concerned about _Bruce_ before, but nobody had ever cared about how the _Hulk_ felt – not even him!  However, for some reason Hermione did!  What could that possibly mean?  Could she actually _like_ the Other Guy?  Had he _finally_ found somebody who could _really_ accept both sides of him?  Or was he reading way too much into her actions? After all, even if she was _different_ herself, his other side was too dangerous and unpredictable for anyone to ever feel comfortable with him.  Even Betty had walked away in the end - and he had not allowed anyone else to get close after she had left.  Despite all of that, though, he just couldn’t seem to help himself as he slid his chair closer to her and then reached over and took her hand.

 While Bruce pondered, his alter-ego stirred again, pleased with Hermione’s concern.  _Pretty Witch – Friend – Mate_! the Other Guy rumbled fondly.  Then, just for a brief second, Bruce’s eyes flashed green as the Hulk made _his_ feelings known.  Since he was caught up in his own (and the Other Guy’s) thoughts, Bruce didn’t notice Hermione’s sharp intake of breath.  Nor did he feel the slight tremble in her hand as she noticed the fleeting color change…or when the puzzle pieces started to fall into place for her!

* * *

 

 However, before she could say or do anything, just then Tony entered the room again and eyed their clasped hands.  “Oh goody,” he said as he rubbed his hands together eagerly.  “I sincerely hope that I am interrupting something!” 

 Upon his entrance, Hermione quickly schooled her expression before either of them could notice anything amiss.  Bruce just sighed and then smiled at her apologetically before he squeezed her hand gently, released it, and then turned to glare at his so-called friend.  “As usual, Tony, your timing is impeccable!” he said sarcastically.

 “Thank you, Doctor.  I try my best!” the man replied without skipping a beat.  “I just came to tell you that dinner is ready and that we will be eating in the dining room.  If you want to escort your…lady friend…down, then I will be there in a minute in order to…join you.”  He winked and then swept dramatically out of the room leaving the other two looking at each other with amusement.

 “Can he make anything sound dirty?” Hermione asked, even though she already knew the answer. 

 Bruce just sighed and shook his head.  “I would apologize for his behavior, but if I did that every time Tony did or said something inappropriate, then we would never be able to talk about anything else!”  Hermione just laughed at that again as she realized that she was probably in for a very entertaining evening! 

 She also realized that she was grateful for Tony’s timely interruption.  She needed time to process what she had learned tonight, but she already knew one thing:  She certainly wasn’t unhappy about this turn of events.  In a way, it made everything much easier. In fact, she was quite pleased to finally understand why she seemed to be…compelled…even attracted…to the two _very_ different men who had occupied her thoughts over the last few weeks!  She didn’t quite understand it all, yet.  However, it was now clear that it was because they were both, in fact, the _same man!_

* * *

 

**A New Set of Boys**

Hermione had been correct about her evening.  It turned out to be quite entertaining – despite the fact that there was obviously a huge elephant in the room.  It was carefully ignored for the time being, however, by all of the dinner companions while they focused on other matters.  Bruce was mainly thoughtful and quiet as he listened to the conversation and while he wondered what to do about the fascinating woman and his (and the Other Guy’s) odd connection to her.  Meanwhile, Tony, as usual, did most of the talking.  At first, he asked Hermione a series of odd and seemingly unrelated questions about her life and work experience in England and her move to New York – liberally peppered with quite a bit of irreverent humor. She answered everything cheerfully and without suspicion, but with her own lighter and sweeter brand of snark.  Bruce looked on - happy that she could hold her own with the egotistical billionaire.  However, he had almost choked on his food when Tony asked…for a friend…about the number of past lovers in her life.  Even though he could have cheerfully murdered his supposed friend at that moment, Bruce couldn’t help but to smile at her perfect deadpan response to such an impertinent question.

 “I know that it is a bit of a foreign concept for you, Tony.  However, for me - it’s all about the quality…not the quantity!”

 This sort of flippant conversation continued until Tony started to ask her about her awards for unspecified services and sacrifices for her country.  It was then that Hermione caught on to the unusual pattern of his questioning.  “Tony...” she started to ask with quite of bit of exasperation in her voice.  “Did you just… _Google_ …me or something while you were out of the room earlier?  Didn’t you find out everything that you wanted to know two years ago when I am sure that you did the security checks on the woman who would be making monthly deliveries to your Tower?”

 He just waved a nonchalant hand and answered good-naturedly.  “Nah,” he said.  “I let Pepper handle all that boring routine paperwork back then.  Now, however - you are marginally more interesting…”  He trailed off and just grinned at the look that Bruce shot at him.  Then he shook his head in amusement and finished his statement, “…at least our resident physicist obviously thinks so!”  Then he laughed and even Hermione smiled slightly as Bruce groaned and dropped his face into his hands.  “Plus, I am insulted that you think that I would stoop to such a level!”  Here he paused for effect before continuing.  “When in fact, I used a search engine that was a helluva lot more sophisticated than Google!” he added.

 Just then the smooth, disembodied, and distinctly British accented voice of the resident AI system sounded from the walls. “Thank you, Sir.  I appreciate not being considered comparable to such a primitive information system.”

 “You’re welcome, Jarvis!” Tony answered with a smug smirk in Hermione’s direction.

 Bruce just groaned again, trying to determine what would make the best retribution to pay Tony back for all of this embarrassment.  However, at the same time, he was grateful that Hermione didn’t seem to be offended at all by the man’s behavior.  In fact, she only laughed at his antics.  However, she had mentioned that she had known him for a couple of years, so she must have had time to get used to it all by now.  Plus, Bruce noticed that she could certainly give as good as she got when it came to exchanging snark with the man who had turned being a smart ass into an art form.  Therefore, Bruce was even more impressed than ever with the delightful young woman.  What Bruce didn’t know, however, was that she knew that Tony could not find out anything _really_ important from her public files, so she was not concerned about that. As for everything else, try as he might, Tony could only be considered a rank amateur in the eyes of someone who had been exposed to the constant pranks of the highly creative Weasley twins or to the neverending sarcastic snark of a certain Potions professor while she was growing up.

 The evening continued on in this vein until dinner was over and they had finished coffee and dessert, as well.  Hermione didn’t really want to leave - especially since the evening with Bruce and Tony had been so reminiscent of the many nights she had spent just hanging out with Harry and Ron back home when all three of them had still been single.  Unfortunately, those types of nights had been few and far between once her boys had started to spend most of their evenings with their wives and families.  Therefore, Hermione had thoroughly enjoyed her night with the two men in the Avengers Tower.  However, it really was getting late, and she did have to open up the _TT &T _store early in the morning.  Consequently, Hermione reluctantly suggested that it was time for her to head home.  Bruce understood and insisted on walking her down to catch a cab, despite her protests (not knowing that she was just planning to apparate once she was clear of the Tower’s security).  Tony just said his goodbyes in his horribly fake English accent again and then retired to his office to secretly watch them on the security feed. Meanwhile, on the street level, as Bruce flagged down a taxi, he tried to apologize for his friend’s behavior. 

 “Nonsense!” Hermione scoffed.  “I enjoyed every minute of the evening!” she added truthfully. 

 He smiled at that. “Good,” he said in a heartfelt manner.  “I have to admit that I was a bit worried.  Tony tends to put people off, sometimes.” 

 “It would take a lot more than that,” she promised.  “Tony Stark is relatively harmless compared to some of the people that I have had to deal with!” she added honestly – thinking about Voldemort, Bellatrix, and the rest of the Death Eaters.  Then she banished those negative thoughts out of her head and flashed a beautiful smile up at him.  “Don’t tell him this, but I have always quite liked the man and I find him to be more like a silly little boy than anything.  However, next time, let’s try a Tony-less dinner for variety’s sake.”

 He couldn’t help but to smile at her description of Tony before replying.  “That sounds like a plan.  It’s a date!” he exclaimed and then paused as he realized that he had actually used the word _date._

 He need not have worried, though.  “Brilliant!” she responded enthusiastically and she moved closer to him and placed a hand on his arm.  “He is watching us now, isn’t he?” she asked quietly, but with a knowing sparkle in her eyes.

 “Probably…” Bruce admitted, his breath catching a little at her closeness.  “This is Tony we are talking about, after all!” he muttered.  She gave a little laugh at that and proceeded to press a warm kiss into his cheek before she turned back to the waiting cab.

 “You have my card,” she reminded him as she climbed into the car.  “Call me!”

 “Definitely!” he replied with another smile…and then she was gone.

 He stood there watching the taxi disappear while he absentmindedly rubbed the cheek she had kissed.  _What a surprising night this has turned out to be!_   he thought pleasantly.  Then he sighed and went back in to receive the teasing that he knew Tony was about to dish out. 

* * *

However, to his surprise, Tony barely joked about it, at all.  “So...she’s a witch…I knew that I liked that bookworm for a reason!” was all that his friend and employer said before asking the big question. “How are you going to tell her about Tall, Green, and Furious?”  When Bruce admitted that he didn’t know, yet, Tony actually sighed.  “You need to figure it out – and soon – Doctor,” he said in a quite uncharacteristically serious manner.  “She is perfect for you.  I couldn’t have picked somebody better if I had actually expended the energy and tried.  I mean…who else could put up with your _temper tantrums_?”  Then he winked and completely spoiled the serious mood.  “Plus, we certainly could do with another pretty face around here.  I can’t be everywhere at once, you know.”  With that very Tony-esque remark, his friend went off to his private quarters.  Bruce was then left alone to ponder whether or not there was a deeper meaning behind the man’s deceptively shallow-sounding words.

 

 


	6. Hero Worship

 

At 5:59, the bell above the door at _Tome, Text, and Treatise_ tinkled softly.  Hermione and her assistant manager glanced up from their spots behind the counter where they were preparing to close everything down for the day.  She smiled brightly as she saw the man who stood at the door of _TT &T _when she realized that it wasn’t just a random last minute customer _._ Even though he was a little early, Hermione was expecting her visitor.  They had made the arrangements over the phone on the day before – when he had called her and thanked her for saving him from having dinner alone with Tony on the previous evening.  She had laughed merrily at the joke – especially since he had been on her mind all day and she had been thrilled that he had called her so soon.  She then invited him over for the promised bookstore browsing session and they decided to do it on the following evening…and that was why he was currently standing at her door with a shy smile on his face at seeing her, as well.  However, the young man with Hermione just looked confused at the newcomer, and at the large restaurant take-out bag in his hand – especially since she had not felt it necessary to share her plans for the evening with him.

 “Bruce!” Hermione exclaimed happily.  “Come on in.  We are just finishing up here.”  Then she turned to the young man.  “Phillip, come meet Dr. Banner.  I believe that the two of you might have something in common.”

 “Dr. Banner?  Dr. Bruce Banner?  The physicist?  Oh man!” exclaimed the young man excitedly as he vaulted the counter – ignoring the dark look that Hermione shot him for doing so.  He strode right up the doctor, shook his hand vigorously, and spoke exuberantly.  “It’s so nice to meet you, Dr. Banner!  I am such a fan of your crossover work with biochemistry and nuclear physics.  In fact, I’m using your “The Search for the Super Human Serum” as the main reference for my Master’s thesis.  Oh! Would you mind if I interviewed you for it?”

 Hermione laughed at the dumbstruck look in Bruce’s eyes as she came up and relieved him of the takeout bag.  “Bruce, this eager young pup is Phillip.  He’s my assistant manager.  I believe that I mentioned him the other night.”  She then turned towards the younger man.  “Calm down, Phillip, before you scare the good Doctor off before we have even had a chance to eat our dinner.”

 “Dinner!” exclaimed her assistant manager.  “You are having dinner with Dr. Bruce Banner and you didn’t think to tell me about it?” 

 “Well, I didn’t know that he was your hero, now did I?” she countered, throwing a wink back at Bruce – who hadn’t said a word and was still standing at the door in a bit of shock at his reception. 

 At these words, Bruce cleared his throat and finally spoke.  “I would be…um…happy to talk shop with you sometime, Mr…” his voice trailed off as he realized that he didn’t know the young man’s last name. 

 “Davison,” Hermione provided the name with a smirk.

 “Wow! You would?  Really? That’s excellent! When would be a good time for you?” the young Mr. Davison asked eagerly, still very excited, as he pulled out his cell phone to check his calendar.

 “Why don’t you let me speak with Ms. Granger about a possible meeting here at the store one night after work?  Would that be an acceptable arrangement to you?” he asked, speaking to the young man, but looking at his employer. 

 They both nodded in agreement and Phillip turned towards his boss and gave her a big hug.  “Thank you so much, Hermione, now you are my hero in _both_ worlds!”

 “Oh, hush it, you!” she said fondly while she affectionately returned the young man’s hug - unaware that neither Bruce nor the Big Guy liked the action very much.  After all, she was closer in age to her assistant manager than she was to them.  Therefore, they were both relieved when, oblivious to their reaction, she stepped back as she continued to speak to the young man. “Why don’t you go shut down the other side and then head on home.  I will let you know tomorrow what Dr. Banner and I decide.”

 Phillip agreed readily, said his goodbyes, and shook the Doctor’s hand enthusiastically again before he headed into a back room.  Hermione just shook her head before she smiled up at Bruce. 

 “Sorry about that,” she explained.  “I figured that he would want to meet you, but I didn’t know that he was going to go all crazed fanboy on you!”

 Bruce looked both pleased and embarrassed at the same time.  “Well, he was quite _zealous_!  That was quite unexpected.  I don’t think that has ever happened to me before...even though I see Tony getting mobbed by fans all of the time.  However, I am pretty sure that he enjoys the notoriety.”

 “ _He_ would!” she said with a snort of amusement before she muttered quietly, “I never cared for it much myself, though.” Then, without explaining that mysterious statement, she picked up the food bag again and gestured for him to follow her.  She led him down a little hallway into another room – which turned out to be the science section of the store.  She went straight to the large wooden reading table in the middle of the room and started to spread out their dinner.

 “You have done a really impressive job here.  This is such a nice place,” Bruce murmured appreciatively while looking all around him.  “I have always been a big fan of libraries and bookstores.”

 “A man after my own heart, then,” she said quite honestly.  “As you know from Tony’s nosiness the other night, I went straight into government work after I was finished with school.  I tried to do as much good as I possibly could before I realized that I was just not cut out for the idiotic world of politics and bureaucracy. Therefore, I returned to my first love…” here her voice trailed off.

 “David Tennant?” Bruce suggested with a smile.

 Hermione couldn’t help but to laugh out loud at that.  Of course this particular physicist would be a closeted _Doctor Who_ fan!  Therefore, she thought for just a moment before she grinned and answered. “Well, if you must know…Christopher Eccleston has always been _my_ Doctor.  What can I say?  I think I have a bit of a type.  I have always been attracted to sexy, intelligent, and brooding older men!”  She smiled up at Bruce, a bit thrilled at her own daring, and was pleased to see that her choice of words had not gone unnoticed – due to the look in his eyes that reflected the surprise and delight at her apparent meaning.  They continued to look at each other with mutual amusement and attraction for a moment until she laughed and gave him a shoulder bump before she purposely changed the subject.  “Books!  I was actually going to say that my first love was books.  We had an _amazing_ library at my boarding school.  Back then, my friends always had a hard time pulling me out of it.  Of course, I was often in there for them, researching for the ways and means to keep them out of trouble and reasonably successful in class…but it was still my favorite place in the castle.”

 Bruce forced himself to pull his thoughts away from the idea that he was her _type_ when he heard this statement.  “The castle?” exclaimed Bruce questioningly.

 “Yes, it was quite exciting to attend school in an old castle, but it did get quite drafty in the winters,” she answered cheerfully.  At this point, all of the food had been arranged out on the table and Hermione darted back into the break room to grab a couple of drinks out of the small fridge in there.  Then the couple sat down to eat.

 Without Tony present to monopolize the conversation, Hermione and Bruce were free to simply enjoy each other’s company…and that is exactly what they did while they savored the meal from the Italian restaurant which Hermione soon learned that Pepper had recommended.  Bruce told her that much, but what he didn’t tell her was that Pepper had been thrilled when she heard that Bruce and Hermione had met and connected with each other and was only disappointed that it had all happened when she was out of town and, therefore, had missed out on all of what Tony had called the _sickening sweet cuteness_ of the meeting.  She had also given Bruce a few much appreciated pointers about what she had learned about Hermione over the past couple of years, such as her love of Italian food. Then she had accepted his thanks with a hug and a heartfelt “Good luck!” as he left for his _date_.   

 Bruce was quite grateful for his friend’s dinner suggestion since the delicious meal fit perfectly into the relaxed atmosphere of their evening.  They ate, laughed, and enjoyed plenty of quiet conversation.  They still stuck to the _safe_ subjects, however, since neither of them knew how to bring up the important topics, yet.  Therefore, while they still thought about their secrets, they talked about anything and everything else - from their mutual friends at the Tower, to their childhoods, his research, and even her employees.  Bruce thought that it was a very pleasant way to spend an evening.  Little did he know then just how much more interesting that his night was going to get!

 


	7. Revelations

Hermione sat on the edge of the reading table and swung her legs as she watched Bruce browse the shelves.  He had already pulled a large stack of books to purchase - despite her repeated reassurances that she didn’t mind if he just read through whatever he wanted to in the store.  After all, she did it all of the time – not to mention that it would be an excellent excuse to keep him around for a while!

 “That wouldn’t be fair to you, though.  You’re trying to run a business here,” he countered.  “Plus, I have a healthy allowance for supplies.”  He then looked at the stack of books that he had chosen, “I think that I can justify most of these for the lab – even if I am the only one who will read them.”  He then playfully winked at her and experienced an almost physical reaction to the grin that she flashed back at him in return. 

 She held his gaze for a moment – equally affected by their interaction and amazed at how _heated_ things already seemed to be between them.  She didn’t date (or do anything else) casually and had not been in a physical relationship since moving to New York.  Consequently, she suddenly found this intense attraction to such an intelligent man with such a big secret ( _Someone so similar to me,_ her heart whispered) to be a bit disconcerting and felt the need to quickly change the subject before she said or did something rash – like have her way with him right there on the table in the middle of the store!  Therefore, her eyes dropped from his to rest upon the stack of books that he chosen. 

 “Even that one?” she asked, pointing to the book about genetic mutations that was on the top of the stack.  “How is that connected to nuclear physics – or is that part of the biochemistry crossover that Phillip was so excited about?"

 Unfortunately, her question had more than the desired effect of just turning down the heat - since Bruce practically deflated at it.  “That’s more of a…um…personal interest,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

 “Oh,” she breathed as she realized to what he was referring.  They had both been tiptoeing around the subject of their _differences_ since they had _officially_ met, but neither one of them quite knew how to start _that_ particular discussion.  _Well, now is as good of a time as any to clear the air_ , she decided.  He had already turned back to the shelves.  However, she could see the tension present in his broad shoulders.  _Is he thinking about broaching the subject, too?_   she wondered. 

 As a matter of fact, he was.  However, he could not figure out exactly how to start the conversation.  All he seemed to be able to recall was Tony’s words from the other evening – _She is perfect for you!_   Unfortunately, that just seemed to force him to be even more reticent because he desperately wanted to _not_ screw this up!  While his brain churned with the effort, however, she took matters into her own hands as she asked him a startling question.

 “So… is the mutation congenital or was it an accidental side effect of your work?”

 “Wha…what?” he choked out in disbelief as he spun around to meet her eyes again.  _That_ certainly wasn’t what he was expecting. Was she _actually_ talking about his condition…or had he missed a piece of the conversation when he was deep in thought and she was discussing something else entirely?

 She cleared that mystery up with her next statement, however, as she smiled gently at him. “I’m just wondering what makes you turn into the Big Green Guy.”

 He could only stare at her in shock for a moment.  _She knows!_ “You…know?” he asked hesitantly.

 She nodded and spoke gently.  “Right before Tony came in to collect us for dinner the other night...well…your eyes flashed green when we were talking about the Hulk.”  Then she gave him quite a saucy grin as she continued.  “It didn’t take a nuclear physicist to figure out what _that_ meant!”  Then she gave a little laugh at the look of sheer disbelief on his face.

Bruce's mind was in a state of quiet astonishment for a few minutes.  _Not only does she already know that I turn into a rage-fueled monster, but she is able to joke about it! She doesn’t seem concerned…or scared…at all!_ “You didn’t say anything, though,” he said aloud when he finally found his voice.

 “You didn’t either,” she reminded him.

 “I…didn’t want to…scare you off,” he admitted reluctantly, nervously flipping the book he was holding over and over in his hands.

 She just shook her head fondly at him.  “I think you should know by now that I don’t frighten easily.” Then she took it all a step further and laid the whole truth out. “Especially since if I know who and what you are, that means that you know my secret, as well.  You know what I did that day – even if you may not know how I did it.”  It was then her turn to feel a little uncertainty while she waited for his reaction.

 Bruce swallowed nervously and felt a slight flush creep up his neck as he told her the truth.  “The Other Guy calls you… _Pretty Witch_...”

 “Oh, does he now?” she asked, with a small smile at the obvious compliment.   “Well, the witch part I can confirm, at least.” She paused, so thankful that the Statute of Secrecy was a bit more relaxed in the States – under certain circumstances - as long as discretion was used.  It also helped that this was certainly not the usual type of scenario.  After all, he already knew that she was magical and he was a kind of superhero himself.  Therefore, she raised her hand with a clear conscience and waved it the direction of the windows.  He then watched as the nighttime shades slid down into place, the CLOSED sign turned over, and then the door locked – all by themselves. “I should have done that earlier, anyway,” she mentioned as she turned towards him, “but I was a little distracted by an attractive visitor.”  She smiled warmly at him before she continued. “However, I’m sure that you have questions…” she paused again and he nodded, amazed by _both_ her little display – even though he knew it had been completely for his benefit - and by the fact that she just admitted that she thought he was attractive!  “However, can I ask you one first?” she continued.  He nodded again and walked over closer to her.   “You said _the Other Guy_ …” she repeated the phrase slowly and looked up at him as he came to stand in front of her, “in third person.  Does that mean that you and the Hulk are truly two separate entities?” she asked with great interest.

 “Yes!  Well…I used to think so.  In fact, I was certain of it because we never even really _existed_ at the same time before.  It was either him…or me.  I didn’t even have a memory of fighting with you at the battle until he sent it to me after we met again at the coffee shop.  That’s why I didn’t recognize you then…or I certainly would have said more than just ‘Thank you’ and let you walk away from me.  In fact, that was just really poor judgement on my part all the way around!” Here he paused to smile sheepishly at her before he continued. “However, I am not…exactly…sure about all of that now. Since meeting you again, the separation had been less…defined.  The Other Guy has become a lot more…vocal.  He talks to me now…about you…and he never really did that before.”

 “Really?” she asked, pleased and surprised.  “He talks about _me_?” 

 “Oh, yes!” he agreed.  “You made a hell of an impression on him!”  He looked at her smiling up at him and thought about the impression that she had made on him, as well!  He just couldn’t believe how easy that she was making all of this for him.  Therefore, he decided to point this out as he finally laid the book down and looked directly into her eyes again. “You are taking all of this very well, you know.”

 “Am I?” she asked with another smile.  “What about you?  You have barely batted at an eye at the thought of me being a witch.”

 “Well, it is quite impressive,” he admitted.  “However…on a regular basis I turn into a huge green monster when I get angry.  Plus, I hang out with a man who flies around in Artificial Intelligence enhanced weaponized armor, a genetically engineered super soldier from World War 2, a Russian super spy, an eagle-eyed superarcher, and a Norse God who carries around a hammer with a mind of its own – not to mention all of the others who sometime stop by to visit or the enemies that we all fight together or separately.  After all of that, meeting a witch is really just another Tuesday.”  Then he paused and daringly decided to take her hand. Then the rest of the truth just tumbled out of his mouth with very little effort on his part.  “However…meeting a witch as attractive, intelligent, and fascinating as you, well…that is certainly something that doesn’t happen every day.  _That’s_ a once in a lifetime – _if ever_ \- experience I would say…and I am very glad that it happened to me!”

 Hermione just looked at him and felt that she was at risk of being overwhelmed by that intense attraction again.  Therefore, she paused to gather up her self control and after a moment was able to reply lightheartedly.  “Quite the charmer, aren’t you, Dr. Banner?  You aren’t so bad yourself, you know!”  Then she squeezed his hand and continued to hold onto it, relishing the gentle contact, before she offered her explanation, as well. “As for you and the Hulk…well…this isn’t exactly the first time that I have been in this situation, either.  You aren’t the first man with a dangerous alter-ego that I have ever met, you know, not even the first one that I have fought in a battle with…”  At this surprising statement, Bruce looked at her with a great deal of interest and encouraged her to continue.  “However, his other half was a great deal hairier than yours and only came out during the full moon.”  She trailed off then, thinking about Remus. 

 Bruce started with surprise.  “You mean…he was something like a werewolf?  I didn’t know that they were real!”

 “Remus _was_ a werewolf, yes.  He was so much like you, though– a kind and gentle academic who had no control of the situation and usually didn’t remember what happened afterwards, either.  However, he couldn’t be around humans at all during his transformation – without devastating consequences - and he certainly couldn’t work with them the way the Big Guy worked with me that day.  Therefore, he locked himself away during his “time of the month” in order to avoid hurting anyone.”

 “How did you know about him then?” Bruce asked tentatively.

 “Well…I had actually figured it out months before – from the symptoms that he displayed every time it got close to a full moon.  However, I actually saw him transform once when he couldn’t get away in time…and then I led him away from the others by pretending to be another wolf in the forest.  It’s a _long_ and _complicated_ story, really.”

 “You baited a werewolf?”  Bruce shook his head in amazement at the petite, innocent looking woman in front of him.  Who knew what other surprises she had in store for him?

 “Well, to be fair, I was only fourteen then and I didn’t really have the time to think of a better plan.  I had to do it, though – especially since we were on the grounds of my boarding school…and there were…other things happening that night.”  She paused as she thought about Sirius, Peter, and the Dementors before continuing.  “However, he would have been devastated if he had hurt anyone – especially a child.  Therefore, I just didn’t have a choice.”

 “Fourteen!” Bruce exclaimed.  He was amazed that she was already that open-minded, kind, _and_ brave as a child.

 “Yes,” she said with a sad little smile on her face.  “Then four years later, both he and his wife died in the final battle.  However, he was a great man and he taught me so much.  I still miss him.”

 “Final battle?” Bruce asked first, wondering what else this lovely young woman had been through, before he froze as he realized what else she had said.  “He was a _married_ werewolf?”  His shock was evident as Hermione nodded. “Was his wife…?”

 “No, she wasn’t one...and, yes, she knew his secret when she married him,” Hermione answered, as she guessed correctly what he wanted to know.  “They also had a child together,” she added quietly.  “There was no reason why Remus shouldn’t have had a normal life – with love and happiness - just because he had a furry little problem once in a while!  In fact, Remus and Tonks’ story proves exactly why you should seize happiness while you can - because life is just too bloody short!”  Bruce listened to her passionate words with a kind of awed disbelief - not in the least because he thought that he could perceive a message in there that could also apply to him.  Without even thinking about it, he inched closer to her, this amazingly accepting woman, and his other hand reached out to touch her face – practically of its own accord.  He stopped in his tracks, though, when Hermione surprised him by suddenly uttering an expletive.

 “Bollocks!” she exclaimed, as he looked at her curiously.  “Tony knows about me, too. Doesn’t he?” She had just remembered his odd reaction when Bruce mentioned meeting her at the coffee shop and his strange unrelated questions at dinner.

 Bruce nodded – a little worried, now, and his outstretched hand fell back down to his side.  “Yes, he does.  I told him about the Other Guy’s reaction when I got back from the coffee shop that day.  I needed his help to find you, since I didn’t know your name…or anything else.  He wasn’t able to do much, though, except to have the rare foresight to introduce me to his “Bookstore Lady.”  Is that _really_ a problem, though?  I can assure you that even though Tony can be a jerk sometimes, he won’t give away your secret.”

 Hermione sighed and briefly closed her eyes, “No, I guess not.  Believe it or not, I do trust Tony…and Pepper, too.  It’s just that I would rather it not get back to…well…a certain organization…that you guys, in general, or the Avengers, specifically, know about me.  It’s bad enough now, but I will never get them to stop trying to recruit me, then!  Plus, there’s the whole issue that my people have rules about this kind of thing – about who knows about us, I mean.  If we were back home, I would probably either have to wipe your memory over this…or marry you!  Fortunately, they are a bit more lenient on this side of the pond…and there are some extenuating circumstances… so you will probably get to escape both of those fates.”  She suddenly opened her eyes, and smiled when she looked into his.  They were wide and full of surprise at her reference to the organization that he could only assume was SHIELD, her statement over _her people,_ and her implication that she would actually go through with what was apparently considered to be a reasonable alternative to a memory wipe.  The Other Guy stirred at that intriguing thought…and all that it entailed, as well, so Bruce purposely chose to stick with what he considered to be the safest part of her statement.

 “Your…people?” he asked hesitantly. 

 Hermione looked at him thoughtfully and knew that somehow she had already made the decision to tell him everything.  It wasn’t a choice that she made lightly, but whatever this was between them was obviously too big and important to screw it up with outright lies or even half-truths, right now.  Plus, he already knew half of the story anyway and he definitely knew how to keep a potentially dangerous secret. Therefore, her face lit up with excitement when she thought of the most obvious way to tell him about herself. “Oh, yes!  I’m a bit of a package deal, you know.  Are you interested in learning more?” she asked hopefully …and a bit mischievously, as well. 

 He nodded, a bit uncertainly, and then wondered what he was getting himself into as she jumped off the table.  She reassuringly squeezed the hand that she was still holding and quickly led him into a back room.  The sign on the door said _Office_ and that is exactly what it looked like on the inside.  There was a large desk, which he assumed was Hermione’s, in the middle of the room.  On that desk, however, sat a huge orange cat with a squashed face and highly intelligent eyes.  Hermione walked up and stroked it lovingly for a moment before introducing them. 

 “Guys, this is Crookshanks – my friend and familiar.  We have been together a long time - ever since I was thirteen, in fact.  Crooks, this is Bruce and the Hulk.  They are both my friends, too.”  Bruce realized then that this was no ordinary cat. Why else would Hermione have introduced him to it, much less the Other Guy?  He found out that he was correct when the cat stood up, stretched, and then rubbed his head against Bruce’s proffered hand.  However, it wasn’t until the Other Guy took notice and rumbled approvingly, _Witch Kitty!,_ that he started to purr loudly.  Hermione laughed.  “You have both been approved, it would seem!  Crooks is a half-kneazle, which is a magical breed known for having long lives and for being _very_ good judges of character!  He is also quite familiar with the concept of alter-egos, as well.  He quickly would have let me known if either of you were up to no good.”  She spared a thought to the memory of Crooks chasing Wormtail, but befriending Padfoot, during her third year at Hogwarts before she turned her attention back to the cat.  “I’m going to show them the _other_ side of the store, Crooks.  Would you like to lead the way?” 

 Bruce then watched as the feline took his time to jump down from the desk and saunter nonchalantly across the room before he disappeared right into the wall between the two bookcases in front of them.  The man then turned to give Hermione a bewildered look.  She just smiled at him and took his hand again.  “Well, Alice, are you ready to fall down the rabbit hole?” she asked excitedly.  He squeezed her hand, just a bit nervously, and nodded.  Then, they stepped through the wall together.

 


	8. The Other Side

Bruce didn’t know what he was expecting, but he was pretty sure that what he saw before him wasn’t it!  First of all, apparently he had just stepped through a wall as if it was thin air.  There had not been any resistance, at all.  It was if they had just stepped through an open doorway into another room – or in this case, another store. The first thing that he saw on this side was the cat, Crookshanks, sitting on top of a nearby table, flicking his tail and watching him intently.  Then, he allowed his eyes to pan his surroundings and noticed that they were standing in the mirror image of the bookstore that he had been in earlier – except that this one was _alive!_

 That was the only word that he could think of that even came close to describing the amazing sight that was before him.  To be sure, there _were_ lots of bookshelves on this side, too, but they were unlike any of the ones on the other, _normal_ side of the store.  Some of the books on these shelves made animal noises, a few changed color as he watched, and a couple were even chained down.  He then watched in disbelief as a smaller bookcase walked right past him on little wooden legs (complete with little wooden shoes) and as one shelf in the back actually looked like it was on fire.  Just as he turned to urgently tell Hermione this, though, the fire fizzled out – only to reappear in a minute – and it continued to follow this pattern of flame and extinguishment over and over again. 

 Just then he was distracted by a portrait of Shakespeare on the wall.  That was not an unusual sight at all in a bookstore, except for the fact that here the Bard of Avon looked up, saw him, and sent a little wave in his direction. Bruce could see his lips moving, and thought that he could make out the words, “To be, or not to be,” but no sound issued forth. Hermione noticed what he was looking at, smiled, and told him that she had to put a silencing spell on the portrait because he kept randomly launching into his soliloquys and annoying the patrons.  Bruce had finally found his voice by then and was about to comment on this when a couple of fur covered books ran by on the floor in front of them and Phillip appeared, obviously trying to catch them while waving what appeared to be some sort of magic wand.  He stopped, though, as he noticed them and looked up in shock.

 “Dr. Banner!” he squeaked in surprise as he suddenly turned into a white mouse and his wand hit the floor.  Bruce turned towards Hermione again, quite alarmed, but she just shook in head in bemusement and pointed towards the mouse again in a _Watch this!_ type of gesture.  Bruce had just enough time to see the mouse stretch out and turn back into the assistant manager.  “Well, _that_ was embarrassing!” he heard the young man mutter as he picked up his wand and slid it into his waistband. 

 “Phillip,” Hermione said, sounding quite unconcerned about the whole event.  “I thought that you went home a long time ago?” 

 “That was my plan, Hermione,” he said while sneaking nervous looks at Bruce.  “However, after I closed out the till and finished the reshelving, I noticed that some of the _Pet Me_ books had escaped from the pen in the children’s section.  I have been chasing them ever since!  I didn’t want to disturb you, though, since I knew you had a guest.”  Here he paused and shot another look at Bruce.

 “Why didn’t you ask Crooks to help you?  You know that he is an expert at that sort of thing.” Hermione asked the embarrassed young man. 

 “Well, I would have, but he’s been ignoring me ever since I accidentally stepped on his tail the other day,” Phillip admitted sheepishly.  Despite his overall surprise and amazement at the situation in which he found himself, Bruce had to force down his grin as a look of what could only be described as smug satisfaction slid across the feline’s face at Phillip’s explanation.  He was then distracted, however, because that same pair of books ran past again.  Hermione snapped her fingers at them and they both fell over, unmoving.  She walked over and picked them up.  “Just be glad that we don’t stock _The Monster Book of Monsters_ ,” she said with a laugh as she remembered the textbook that Hagrid had once assigned to his classes.

 Bruce heard Phillip mutter under his breath, “I have got to learn how to do that!” before he recovered enough from the shock of it all that his scientific curiosity and inner scholar took over.  He glanced at Hermione who smiled at him when she realized what he wanted. She nodded her permission.

 “Have a look around, Bruce,” she said brightly, but added a little warning.  “Just be careful, though.  None of the books on this level are dangerous, but some of them can get…mischievous!”  Then she winked at him before turning back toward her assistant manager.

 Bruce then walked a short distance away from the witch and the young man (who was apparently a wizard) and stared briefly at a cage that held a lot of small winged books that were fluttering around.  He then turned and started to peruse the titles of the books on a nearby shelf.  He found that even though he could no longer see Hermione, he could see Phillip’s back and could still hear the conversation between the two of them.

 “Is Dr. Banner a wizard?”  Phillip asked in a low voice.

 “No, he’s not,” Hermione answered in a calm tone.

 “What is he doing here then?” He paused and Bruce could practically hear the amusement in the young man’s voice when he continued.  “Oh, it’s like that, is it?”

 “Hush it, little mouse!” Bruce heard Hermione say, but he could tell from her tone that she wasn’t really angry...and he had to admit that he was glad because he had understood Phillip's implication.  Hermione then continued.  “Speaking of which, what did I teach you to do when you feel an unplanned transformation coming on?”

 “Stop, breathe, and count to ten,” recited Phillip - as if he had done it many times before.

 “That’s right.  Now, we _need_ to get this under control.  I think that we both know that it would be a spectacularly bad idea for you to accidentally turn into a white mouse in a lab full of scientists – either at uni _or_ after graduation.  Therefore, I want you to go through a meditation and transformation cycle when you get home tonight – no matter how tired you are!  The more you do that, the easier it will be for you to maintain control over the shifting process– even if you get surprised over something…or someone…unexpected.”

 “Thank you, Professor Hermione,” Phillip replied gratefully, but still with quite of bit of sass.  Then Bruce could hear the curiosity in his voice again as he asked, “Has Dr. Banner seen your animagus form yet?”

 “No, Mouse, he has not.  Now go put those books away and go home…before I eat you!”  Bruce couldn’t see her face when she said this, but he definitely heard what sounded like a good-natured growl at the end of her statement.

 “Yes, ma’am!” Phillip responded by clicking his heels together and throwing his hand up in a mock salute.  Then he took the furry books and vanished into another room.  Just then, Bruce felt something touch his shoulder and realized that he had been so intent on the conversation that he had not noticed that one of the books had grown vines and was reaching out for him.  He remembered Hermione’s words and realized that that this must be one of the books that she had warned him about.  Therefore, he just stepped away quickly – out of its reach.  He thought he heard the book give a sigh of disappointment as it withdrew its vines and turned back into what looked like a normal book just sitting on the shelf.  Out of curiosity, he glanced up at the title.  _The Jungle Book_ , he read to himself and then snorted in amusement. 

* * *

While he waited for Hermione, Bruce moved over to another set of bookshelves in what seemed to be a textbook section.  As he scanned the shelves, he read the names of the texts and determined that the students who went to this Ilvermorny school took some very interesting classes!  Apparently, those included Potions, Herbology, Charms, and something called Transfiguration.  He pulled one of the introductory books about that subject, being careful to check it over to see if it had vines, fur, feet, or something equally unusual before opening it.  The nuclear physicist in him was then mesmerized by what he read.  Apparently, transfiguration was the process of changing one thing into another – down to the basic cellular level – with magic. Apparently, there were different levels in order of increasing difficulty: inanimate to inanimate, animate to inanimate, inanimate to animate, and animate to animate (specifically human to animal - and back again).  Apparently, only a few ever mastered the last one and they were called animagi.  His breath hitched in surprise as he realized that was what Hermione and Phillip were just talking about!  No wonder the young man was so interested in the crossover of the biochemistry and nuclear physics fields – he lived it!  Or at least he was learning to - through Hermione, apparently. _Damn!  That woman just keeps more and more interesting!_ he thought to himself and he could feel the Other Guy agree with him.   Just at that moment, though, he heard a small laugh and spun around to see Hermione leaning against one of the shelves behind him – apparently ignoring the book that had sprouted eight little legs and then had crawled up onto her shoulder for a moment before it swung itself over to a corner and started to build a web. 

 “Of course, _you_ would be interested in Transfiguration,” she said with a little saucy grin that he found to be immensely attractive.  “That was always my favorite, too.  I was born a witch, you know – even though my parents were not magical, at all.  However, I didn’t know why I could do some of the weird and crazy things that I did -  until I turned eleven.  That was when I was accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – the Western European equivalent of the Ilvermorny School here in the States.  Anyway, on my very first day in Transfiguration class, we had to turn a matchstick into a needle.  Mine was the _only_ one in the entire class that actually turned silver and pointy.  Since that day, I was hooked.  I pushed myself to be the best in that subject – and all of the rest of them, also.  I took top honors because I had to prove myself – to prove that I was just as good as everyone else - even though I wasn’t born into a magical family and I didn’t grow up with magic like most of the other students had.  After the war, when I was finished with school, I was actually offered the position to teach Transfiguration there.  However, I turned it down in favor of working at the Ministry to try and achieve more equal rights for those who were treated unfairly…such as the werewolves…and others.  A few years ago, however, I decided that I needed a complete change.  There were many reasons for this, but mainly it was because after so many years of excitement, I felt that my life had grown…stale, uninteresting, and a bit...lonely, as well.  Consequently, I ended up here – as a bookstore owner in New York.  Mind you, I know that doesn’t sound very exciting.  However, I love it!”  Here she paused before she gave him a significant look and a little smile.  “Plus, I have met some _very_ interesting people along the way.”

 Bruce listened intently to the lovely witch and was completely fascinated by these little tidbits about her background.  He knew that she was trying to open up to him a bit and ease him into her world – a world that he had not even known about before today.  It was working, too, because now that the shock had worn off somewhat, his eager mind had kicked in and he had so many questions that he wanted to ask her!  The first and foremost of which was _What was this war that she had mentioned twice now?_ However, he didn’t want to overwhelm her.  This was supposed to be their first date, after all.  He smiled a little as he thought about that and wondered if she considered it that way, too.  He then decided that it was his turn to reciprocate her obvious faith in him.  Consequently, he decided to answer her first question that had originally started the conversation that was currently leading them down the path towards mutual understanding.

 “It was a lab accident with Gamma radiation,” he said, gesturing to himself.  “Because of that, I turn into a destructive monster whenever I lose control and get angry.  Consequently, I have been alone a long time, unable to hold down a steady job, or maintain any kind of normal relationships.  Therefore, I lived my life on the move or in far flung, isolated places - until I joined the Avengers, that is.  Before that, I never knew when the Other Guy was going to make an appearance and ruin everything…or hurt somebody.  I still don’t, not really, but at least I have a support system now – with friends who can actually help to keep me in line – when the worst happens.

 Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded.  “Yes, you do,” she said softly and she reached over and took his hand.  They just stood there like that for a moment and he gazed into her warm brown eyes.  He was amazed and touched by her implication that he could now count on her to be one of those friends.  However, with her, he doubted that friendship was going to be enough.  In fact, he felt like he was slowly losing control around her, but in a good way – not in a way that would summon the Hulk.  There was just something about her that made him feel things that he had not felt for anyone else in a very long time.  Consequently, he seriously considered giving in to his desire to kiss her right then and there. However, he didn’t realize that she was thinking the exact same thing – until she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his in a quick, but sweet and gentle kiss.

 Hermione drew back after just a moment, before he even had time to respond.  She was a bit embarrassed by the impulsiveness of her actions – even though she continued to hold his hand.  She had just felt so grateful that he had opened up to her, someone who was practically a stranger to him.  Plus, she couldn’t deny her barely contained attraction to him.  It was so rare that she met someone who was so much like her.  Someone else who knew what it felt like to be an outsider.  Someone else who had to keep a dangerous secret.  Someone else who was both a scholar and a reluctant warrior.  Consequently, that attraction suddenly broke free of its bonds and she had given in to her craving to touch him – even if it was just a little bit.  Hence the small kiss.

 She smiled and him gently and then changed the subject as if nothing unusual had happened.  “Well…I think I could use a drink.  Would you like to join me at a little place that I know right down the street?” She nodded towards a door that for some reason he had not noticed before now.

 He just looked at her for a moment, still a bit stunned by the feel of her soft lips against his.  The fact that she knew his deepest secret and still wanted to kiss him just amazed him.  He still couldn’t believe that she didn’t seem to be afraid of him – not even a little bit.  Even his closest friends, like Tony, were always just a bit wary around him – as they should be!  However, this wisp of a young woman was not – and he just didn’t understand it – even though he found it extremely attractive!  He would have liked to continue that kiss, however when he finally found his voice, he realized what she just asked him and focused his attention on that as he answered apologetically. “I don’t drink much…because of…well…you know.  I just can’t afford to lose control.”

 He was surprised to see that she seemed rather pleased instead of upset about that.  “I don’t really drink either, but I have the perfect answer to that.  Plus, I really want to show you what is on the other side of that door.   Would you like to see more – or is it all a bit too much too soon?” she asked softly and he could hear a bit of uncertainty in her normally confident tone. 

 He then put two and two together and realized that she wanted to show him more of her world. Suddenly, in a flash of insight, it made sense to him that if his world - the normal everyday world - was through the door on the other side of the store, then her world - the magical world -  must be through the door on this side.  He realized that he was eager to see it – especially if she was going to be his tour guide!  Therefore, he enthusiastically agreed and knew he had made the right choice when a joyful smile appeared on her face.

 “Excellent!” was her response and without further ado, she pulled him towards the door.  Just before the couple exited, however, Bruce happened to glance back and saw that the spiderbook had woven the word "humble" into its new web.  _Apparently, the furry books weren't the only ones that had escaped from the children's section_ was his last thought before Hermione gently tugged him out of the door and onto the street. 

 


	9. Liberty Lane

They exited out onto a quiet street and Hermione turned back for a moment and waved her hand, whispering what he assumed was a locking spell for the door – especially since he heard a resulting _clank_ of a bolt as it shot home.  Then she waved her hand again and he suddenly felt all of the hair of his arms and on the back of his neck stand up.  Hermione noticed when he started to rub them.  “That’s just the security wards.  They do feel a bit like static electricity, at first, when you are close to them,” she explained as she came to stand by his side and slid her hand into his. 

 “What do you think?” she then whispered eagerly and Bruce knew that she was talking about the wondrous sight of the street in front of him – even though it was a bit hard to concentrate on it at first due to the feel of her hand in his and the closeness of their bodies.  What he really wanted to do was to push her up against the closest wall and continue that kiss from earlier.  However, everything was going so well - so much better than he ever thought would be possible again after his…accident. He really didn’t want to mess things up with this wonderful woman, so he wouldn’t rush…anything.  He didn’t even know if…anything…would ever be possible – because of his _condition._   He tried to push that thought away for the time being and decided to just enjoy being in her company as he made himself focus on the sight in front of him.

 When his eyes adjusted to the twilight, he could see what appeared, at first glance on eye level, to be a touristy replica of a colonial town – complete with cobblestone streets.  However, when Bruce looked closer, he could see that this was no replica!  The materials that formed the buildings, the flickering gas lamps lighting the street, the very cobblestones on the street themselves revealed their true age.  However, despite their obvious antiquity, everything was pristine, immaculately maintained, and looked as if it was newly built.  He then allowed his eyes to wander above street level and marveled at the odd and unusual shapes of the buildings and realized that some of them seemed to defy gravity with their almost abstract style of construction.  He blinked unbelievingly at this visual oxymoron and heard Hermione giggle lightly next to him.

 “It’s magic, remember?  It doesn’t have to make sense,” she said understandingly.  She knew how he felt since she clearly remembered seeing Diagon Alley for the first time as a Muggleborn witch.  Liberty Lane could certainly make a similar statement for the uninitiated, as well!

 He nodded, recognizing the absolute truth of her statement.  He then turned around to see the outside of her store and gaped.  Whereas, the façade he had entered earlier that evening had resembled a simple two story colonial style home, on this side it was much different!  Here it looked like several of those homes - all stacked on top of each other, and all leaning to the right.  In fact, it reminded him strongly of the Leaning Tower of Pisa – something he had seen briefly during the backpacking travels of his college years.

 This time she laughed out loud.  “Ready for that drink now?” she asked kindly.

 He could only nod in amazement as she led him down the street and pointed out the other buildings that looked like they belonged in a Dr. Seuss book.  Apparently, there was an apothecary, a wandmaker, a pet store, a sweet shop, and a very impressive building which turned out to be a bank.  “It’s run by Goblins,” Hermione murmured as they passed.  “Unfortunately, they _still_ don’t like me very much – even if I did everything that I could to make it up to them and we were in the middle of a war, after all.”  He filed this information away, but since he had no idea what to say about it at this time – especially since he was on information overload - he just continued to look around him.  It was quite late by this time, so the businesses were all closed and they only saw a couple of people besides themselves on the street while they walked to what seemed to be a tavern at the very end.  According to the sign hanging outside, it was called _The Flying Monkey_.  “There’s a more contemporary bar on the other end where Phillip and some of my other employees hang out,” Hermione said, “but I prefer this one since it reminds me of home - even if it is named after an American movie.” 

 Bruce could tell what she meant the instant they entered the building.  As soon as they stepped in off of the street, they were bathed in warm light which reflected off of the many wood surfaces of the traditional English-style pub.  At the same time, a chorus of voices called out, almost in unison, “Hermione!”  The woman in question waved cheerfully to everyone as she led him up to the bar.  The first thing he noticed there were the pint glasses that were filling themselves at the tap and then sliding down the bar to their recipients – all by themselves.

 His attention was reclaimed by the sound of a voice.  “The usual, Ms. Granger?” the bartender asked in a warm British accent with a look of true affection in his eyes. 

 “Yes, please, Jack,” she answered just as warmly, “and one for my friend, too.  This is Bruce.”  The bartender (an older man who seemed to be in his mid 60s or so) gave Bruce a sharp penetrating look that turned into a nod of acknowledgement before it softened immediately when he looked back at Hermione. 

 “Well…” he said slowly.  “Any friend of yours is welcome here.  Would you like something to eat, as well?  The kitchen is closed to everyone else, you know.  However, Mary is always thrilled to whip up something for you!”

 “You two spoil me, Jack!” Hermione said as she patted the man’s hand affectionately.  “However, no, that won’t be necessary.  Bruce and I just ate.  Thank you for the offer, though.” 

 The man shot Bruce another calculating look as he reached down below the counter and pulled out two bottles.  “It’s no more than you deserve, Girl – especially after everything you did for the folks back home… and for what it is worth, I trust your judgement, too!”  He looked at Bruce again with pointed significance.

 Bruce’s thoughts were torn in that moment between curiosity, _What exactly did she do back in England_?  and concern, _He knows that I am not a wizard!_   That last thought won out momentarily as he remembered Hermione’s talk of memory wipes.  However, those thoughts were driven away by the sound of her delighted laugh.

 “That’s good to know, Jack.  Remember, though, that things can often be so much more than they first appear!” 

 The older man smiled.  “They would have to be, in order to be worthy of _you_ , Lass!”  He said before he then turned to help another customer.  He missed the fleeting blush that swept across her cheeks, but Bruce noticed it and was quite charmed by the sight as she picked up the bottles and led him to a quiet corner booth.  It took a several minutes to get there, though, since many people – with a variety of accents that covered everything from the southern US to what sounded like Russian – greeted her along the way and she politely acknowledged them all.  She was obviously quite popular and Bruce couldn’t help but to remember her comment about not liking notoriety.

 “Sorry about that,” she breathed as they slid into their booth. “I didn’t realize that it was going to be so busy tonight or I wouldn’t have suggested this.” 

 “That’s okay,” he answered.  “Everyone seems to know you here, though.”

 “Yeah,” she said softly and wistfully.  “I had hoped for a bit more anonymity when I moved to the States, but the minute I stepped foot in this pub for the first time, I found out that my reputation had preceded me.  I couldn’t bear to stay away though – especially since this is the only place that I can find on this side of the pond that carries Butterbeer!”  She winked to let him know that it was a joke.  Then, before he even had a chance to comment on her reference to her _reputation_ , she pushed a bottle towards him with instructions.  “Now back at home, we drink it warm - right from the bottle. However, I find that a lot of my American friends prefer to pour it over ice.”  Here she paused and he watched as she simply waved her hand over the table and a glass of ice appeared.  She then continued her explanation as if nothing had happened.  “This was our favorite pub drink back when we were underage and still in school, so you should find that it won’t…aggravate…your condition.”  With these words, she flashed a gorgeous smile at him and whatever he was thinking about saying, all the questions he thought about asking, just completely left his mind.  Therefore, in order to fill the moment of silence before it could turn awkward, he picked up his bottle, took a swig, and let the sweet liquid fill his mouth. 

 “Not bad,” he replied to her unspoken question. “However, you were right.  My delicate American sensibilities think that it would taste better cold.” At her cheerful laugh, he poured the rest of the bottle’s contents into his glass and looked around the room while it cooled.  Apart from the inanimate objects that kept doing things on their own, like the mop that was cleaning up a spill in the middle of the room and the darts that were obviously cheating as they veered to hit the bullseye on the nearby dartboard, the place appeared to be a stereotypical English pub.  He found that he liked it and understood why it was her favorite place.  It was a little taste of familiarity in the middle of the novelty that moving to another country would have brought into her life.

 “So…questions?”  she asked, breaking into his reverie.  His mind suddenly swirled again with everything that he wanted to know about her and the magical world, but then he saw the nervous look on her face and he surprised even himself with his next words. 

 “Nope,” he said, shaking his head.  “Nothing that can’t wait until our _next_ date.” 

 Her answering smile lit up the dim corner of the pub where they were seated.  They then proceeded to spend the next several hours sitting in that back booth just engaging in pleasant, but completely random, conversation.  Now that he knew about magic, she told him all about how she found out that she was a witch, the little bouts of accidental magic that she had when she was young, Hogwarts and her classes there, and some of her more ridiculous adventures with Harry and Ron.  He told her about some of the dumb things that he had done in high school, his college days and some of the adventures that he had while backpacking through Europe with his friends. They even talked about their past romances.  He told her about Betty and the couple of girls before her and she returned the favor as she told him about Viktor and Ron and the couple of guys since them.   Throughout all of this interaction, the Other Guy was quiet, almost as if he was just sitting back and absorbing all of the information about the fascinating witch that he had met on the battlefield. 

 Before they knew it, their table was littered with several Butterbeer bottles and even a couple of tea cups and dessert plates from the unexpected treat that Mary had brought over when she learned that Hermione was there…with a man. Bruce knew that the older woman had come over to assess him (much like her husband Jack had at the bar) as she introduced herself and left them with a couple slices of the pie that she had baked for the next day’s “special.”  Bruce hadn’t said anything about it, but he clearly saw Mary nod approvingly and silently mouth the word “Keeper” to Hermione - who blushed prettily again as she looked up into the pleased surprise in his smiling eyes. 

 All too soon, it was closing time and they said their goodbyes to both Mary and Jack.  The latter looked much more kindly upon Bruce after seeing Hermione smile and laugh so much throughout the night.  Plus, even though the girl was a frequent patron, he had never seen her stay in the pub until closing time before, so he knew that she must have enjoyed herself.  Even if he wasn’t magical, that Bruce lad must be something special then.  Mary seemed to approve, as well, and she had a knack when it came to knowing about people.  Therefore, he returned the cheerful goodbyes of the younger couple with pleasure and looked forward to seeing how all of it worked out. 

* * *

Once outside in the cool night air, Hermione smiled at his surprise declaration about the lateness of the hour and the impossibility at catching a cab.  “Do you even have taxis here?” he asked confused as he looked around and realized that he didn’t see any of the other customers who had exited with them – even though he remembered hearing several popping sounds behind him. 

 “Magic, remember?” she said with smile.  “How good is the Tower’s internal security?” she then asked, a bit deviously.

 He blinked at this apparent non-sequitur before answering.  “The best,” he said, even more confused now. 

 “Good!”  she answered with a grin.  “Time to give Tony a little payback!  This will be sure to drive him crazy while he tries to figure it out.  Now, I have only really been in the Security office, Pepper’s sitting room, the dining room, and that crazy lounge room.  Therefore, I think that the lounge would be best, don’t you?”  Then before he could process what she was talking about, she had wrapped her arms around him.  As if that wasn’t distracting enough, they then whirled and disappeared off of the magical street with a loud _pop._ A moment later, he was surprised to find himself standing in the Tower’s mid-level lounge with Hermione’s arms still around him.

 “Wh...what was _that_?” he asked with surprise as she released him gently, but reached for his hand instead. 

 “Apparating…it’s a form of magical travel,” she replied with a wink just as he remembered her sudden departure from the battlefield and the corner by the coffee shop - and the popping sounds from the pub. 

 “Very…um…efficient!” he said since it was the first thing that popped into his mind – even though he realized that the statement was quite true. 

 “Isn’t it just?” she asked with another smile that he couldn’t help but to return.  That smile widened even further when he suddenly let out a loud yawn which she contagiously returned.  They both laughed since they had been enjoying each other’s company so much that they had not _really_ realized what time it was – even though they had closed down the pub.

 “Well, I guess I should go.  It is extremely late and we both have to work tomorrow.  I bet that Tony is quite the slave driver… and my boss can be a bit of a bitch, too, when she needs to be.”  She winked again before her memory triggered and she swore loudly.  “Damn!  We forgot your books at the shop!” 

 “That just gives me an excellent excuse to go back tomorrow night, doesn’t it?” he said with some surprise at own his forwardness.  Therefore, he felt relieved when she just laughed.

 “Oh, yes!  That it does!”  Then she pleasantly surprised them both with _her_ forwardness as she leaned in and brushed another light kiss against his lips. “Good night, Bruce!  Good night, Big Guy!” she murmured and before he could say a word, she had stepped back and whirled away.  Then he was alone…well almost. 

  _Hulk like Pretty Witch!_ the Other Guy rumbled eagerly and Bruce couldn’t help but to agree with that particular sentiment as he made his way to the small apartment that served as his private quarters in the Tower.  After he had undressed and had fallen into bed, he realized that he was still smiling.  He couldn’t remember that last time that he had enjoyed himself so much.  He also realized that he was already looking forward to the following evening so that he could see Hermione again! 

* * *

 

Bruce awoke in the morning to a loud yell of “Rise and shine, Lover Boy!” and his eyes flew open to see Tony grinning down at him.

 “What the hell?” he exclaimed loudly as he bolted upright into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes.  “How did you get in here, Tony?”

 His friend and employer just laughed.  “I’m the one in charge of security codes…remember?  I just wanted to check and see if you were actually in here.  I guess you did come home last night, after all, then, huh?   However, the security system logs showed that nobody else entered or left after Happy…so how did you get in?”

 It was Bruce’s turn to laugh then.  “Hermione was right!  She said it would drive you crazy not to know.”

 “Oh, so you are conspiring against me with the little witch, then, are you?  Therefore, I guess it went well.  Not my version of well, I assume – especially since you are warming your own bed this morning instead of hers - but well enough.  Did you get around to telling her your big green secret?”

 Bruce just ignored most of that inappropriate statement, but he did answer the last part.  “I didn’t have to, Tony.  She already knew…and she didn’t care!”  Bruce’s grin lit up the room at the memory.

 “So…she obviously has a thing for freakishly large and off-colored men who like to smash things.  How lucky for you that you happen to corner _that_ particular market, then!  I presume that you have plans to see her again?

 “Tonight,” Bruce said and then smiled slyly. _“You_ are buying a bunch of books for the lab and I have to go pick them up.”

 “Just another witch out for my money, huh?” Tony groused, but inside he was truly happy for his friend.  He knew that the last few years had been particularly difficult and lonely for Bruce and so he hoped that everything would continue to work out for him. Not only that, but Tony was also a consummate business man – even when it came to the Avengers - and he knew that having an actual witch on their side could only prove to be an asset. Consequently, it would be a win/win situation for everybody if his favorite couple of nerds ended up together!

 


	10. Before This Goes Any Further

 Bruce stood outside the doorway of Hermione’s store with butterflies, or whatever the manly equivalent of butterflies would be, doing somersaults in his stomach.  He couldn’t ever remember being this nervous over seeing a woman before.  However, Hermione was far from being just any woman, wasn’t she?  He had honestly never met anyone so kind and understanding in his entire life – even before his lab accident.  However, those qualities were even more important to him now.  She was just so interesting, too.  He couldn’t believe how quickly time had passed for them while they were just talking in the pub last night.  That was not even considering the magic!  Yes, she was definitely the single most interesting person that he had ever met…and he couldn’t wait to spend more time together with her tonight.

He took a deep breath to center himself and entered the door to the still-open book shop.  He had purposely arrived a little early since he knew that he still had to purchase all of the books that he had picked out on the previous evening.  Consequently, there were still customers in the store and the first thing that he saw was Hermione helping someone at the front counter.  She was so intent on her work that she didn’t see him, however.  Therefore, he took a moment just to look at her.  Her lively hair was piled up on top of her head haphazardly and quite a bit of it had already escaped the confines of the clip that attempted to hold it in place.  Her smile was wide and friendly and her eyes were earnest as they flicked back and forth between the older female customer and the computer monitor in front of her as they engaged in pleasant conversation during what seemed to be the process of ordering a specialty text for the client.  He thought that Hermione looked lovely in her long white blouse and black pants and he just stood there admiring the view…until he was interrupted by a young enthusiastic voice.

“May I help you with something, sir?”

Bruce looked up at the young blonde who appeared to be in her early twenties.  She had a _Tome, Text, and Treatise_ name tag that informed him that her name was Michelle, and so he knew that she was one of Hermione’s college student employees.  He looked at the girl in a clinical way and marveled that if he hadn’t already known that she was a witch, he never would have been able to tell otherwise – just like with Hermione and Phillip.

“No thank you,” he answered her in a friendly manner.  “I will just wait for Ms. Granger.”  The girl nodded pleasantly and went to assist another customer.  He then waited until Hermione was finished with her customer and had looked back down to her inventory work on the computer before he walked up to the counter in a business-like manner.

“Excuse me, Miss.  I wonder if you could help me?”

Hermione’s head shot up at the familiar voice and her already present smile grew even wider.  His heart leapt at the sight of it.

“Of course, Sir,” she said playing along with a sparkle in her eye.  “What can I do for you?”

_Kiss me!_ he thought to himself, but he kept the words that he actually spoke aloud calm and professional.  “I had a large order of scientific texts on hold and I was assured by the owner that I could pick them up tonight.”  Michelle had wandered back over the counter at this point to help another customer and she looked over at them, a bit confused at their exchange.  After all, the man had already acknowledged to her that he knew Hermione…so what was going on?

“Your name, sir?”  Hermione asked in her pleasant business voice, but bit her bottom lip in an attempt not to laugh.

“It’s Banner, Dr. Bruce Banner,” the man said with deadpan calm and Michelle just had to smile at their little game then.  After all, her good friend Phillip had called her late last night to tell her all about meeting his science hero - who was also apparently their boss’s new boyfriend!

“Let’s see…Dr. Banner…” Hermione continued.  She typed something up on her computer and then frowned slightly.  “I’m sorry, Dr. Banner.  It seems as if there has been a slight mix-up.  The computer invoice shows that your order has already been charged to Stark Industries and was picked up this afternoon by a…” here she paused for a moment as if referring to the computer again “…Ms. Potts.  The invoice also states that Ms. Potts proceeded to take the store owner to lunch and forced her to engage in gossip of a rather personal nature.”

“Oh, does it now?” Bruce asked as he suddenly understood why Pepper had grinned at him so cheerfully right before he left the Tower.  “Does it say what the owner told her?”

“Let me check, sir.”  She typed again.  “Oh, yes.  Apparently, there was talk of a kiss…and the hope was expressed that there would be a lot more of them in the near future.”    The two of them just grinned at each other then until their moment was interrupted by the laughing Michelle.

“OMG! Phillip was right.  You two are just too cute!  Look, Hermione, it’s closing time and all of the customers are gone.  Why don’t you take your…Doctor friend…upstairs or whatever…and I will handle the close up/shut down tonight?”  The girl smiled before adding, “…and then maybe you can return the favor and let me have Saturday night off?  There’s a…um…study group that I want to attend.” 

“Study group, my foot!” Hermione murmured, but in an amused way, before she continued in a louder voice while looking at her visitor.  “Bruce, this manipulative young lady is Michelle.  She definitely would have been a sly Slytherin if she had attended Hogwarts.” 

“Well, I _was_ a Wampus at Ilvermorny.  It’s the warrior house, you know!” the girl interrupted.

Hermione laughed at her spirited employee, but then continued to talk to Bruce.  “At any rate, you would never be able to tell from her obviously meek and mild personality, but she studies English and Literature.  She and Phillip have been here with me practically since the beginning and usually rotate closing schedules with each other every other night – including Saturdays.” Then she paused to wink at him before adding in a louder voice which was obviously directed at her employee. “Therefore, if she wants Saturday night off she is going to have to employ some of her Slytherpus tendencies and convince him to switch with her…or she will just have to wait and go after work.  We close at eight on Saturdays.  Most...study groups…probably won’t even be started by then!  She will have plenty of time!”  She winked at him again before she turned towards the girl and patted her on the shoulder.  “If you will just close down this side, you can go on home.  Bruce and I will be doing some…research…on the other side – so I will close things down over there.”  Michelle nodded her agreement and then grinned at her boss.

“So… _research_ … Is that what the old folks are calling it nowadays?”

“Hush it, you!” Hermione said in parting as she grabbed a bemused Bruce’s hand and led him towards the office and on to the other side of the store.

* * *

Once they stepped through the wall into the other side, the first thing that Bruce noticed was Crookshanks sitting on top of the closest bookcase and playfully pawing at the same little spiderbook from yesterday.  It hung from the ceiling by a single thick strand and swung back and forth every time the cat batted at it.  Bruce could have sworn that he even heard the book _giggle._ He didn’t have long to wonder at that, though because the next thing he knew he was up against the wall and his arms were full of Hermione.

“I wasn’t kidding about the kissing, you know,” Hermione whispered.

Bruce was a smart man and he knew an invitation when he heard one – especially when it was one that he had been eagerly awaiting.  Therefore, almost of their own accord, his hands came up to cup her face and he bent his head down until their lips met.  It was a glorious feeling, all soft, warm, and gentle - at first.  Then Hermione reached up, buried her hands in the waves of his hair, and pulled him towards her.  After that, the kiss became increasingly more intense – until they had to break apart to breathe.

“Wow!” he murmured as he rested his forehead against hers – since he was reluctant to completely relinquish contact with her.   

Then she looked up at him and grinned deviously.  “Wow, indeed!  I think I have just discovered my new favorite hobby.”  Then, before he knew it, they were kissing again.  However, this time they had switched positions.  She was the one up against the wall, his hands were in her glorious hair, and her hands were running up and down his back muscles in a thrilling way while their mouths were tasting each other hungrily again.  This time when they broke apart, he was pleased to see that her eyes were slightly glazed and that she was breathing heavily – especially since he knew that he was in the same state.  He just couldn’t believe that he could affect her in the same way that she did him!

He had to admit that he was quite disappointed when she didn’t immediately kiss him again – especially since he knew without hesitation that he could happily spend the whole night doing nothing else.  However, she took him by the hand instead, and led him to into what was obviously a small reading room – complete with comfortable chairs and low tables.  She gestured for him to take a seat and then waved one hand and a stack of books appeared on the table next to him.  She waved another hand and a cup of tea appeared. 

She then perched on the side of his chair while she explained, “I know that you have a lot of questions for me and about me.  Therefore, I have been wracking my brains to try and find the best way to explain things to you – especially since most of it is particularly long and not-very-nice… and something tells me that you won’t be happy with just the good and happy bits of the story.  Then, it struck me.  You are a scholar and you might appreciate seeing it all laid out for you in black and white, first – without any of the random tangents that I would probably branch out into if I explained it.   Therefore, I gathered up all the best accurate resources – because, trust me, there is a lot of bunk out there, as well! Anyway, I have arranged them all in chronological order…more or less…and marked off the sections that I want for you to read first.  It all starts with an evil wizard named Voldemort.”  Here she paused to tap the top book.  “Then comes my best friend, Harry Potter.”  She tapped the second book.  “However, some of _my_ story is included in these last three books, as well.”  She then gestured to the bottom of the stack.  “While you read, I’m going to close down this side of the store.  Then we can go upstairs to my flat…I mean apartment…and have dinner.  At that time, you can ask me any questions that you still have.  Does that sound like an…acceptable…plan to you?” She had started her suggestion in a perfectly calm voice, but it broke on the last sentence.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.  “All of this happened a long time ago, but some of it is still very difficult to talk about and…I just hope that none of it…makes you think of me any differently.  However, I really feel that you need to know my story - especially before this,” here she paused to gesture between the two of them, “goes any further.”

Bruce watched her get more and more agitated through her explanation and he suddenly wondered if he even wanted to know about what was in those books or not.  Then he decided that he did.  He wanted to know everything – the good and the bad.  Then they could figure out where they wanted to go from there.  He couldn’t imagine that anything that he read would change his mind about her, however – especially since she actually just implied that she wanted what was between them to go _further_.  Without even having to think about it, he reached out and grabbed her hand.  He pulled it to his lips and kissed her palm gently to show her his opinion on the matter.  She smiled gently, leaned over, and kissed his forehead to show hers.  Then she turned and exited the room.  On the way out, he heard her quietly tell the cat, “Stay with him, Crooks, and let me know if he starts to get upset.  I am afraid that the Hulk might not like some of the things that Bruce is about to read.”

 


	11. The Big Guy Returns & Other Surprises

Bruce couldn’t help to worry about Hermione’s parting remark as he grabbed the first book off of the stack and started to read the pages that Hermione had marked for him.  He started to gain some insight into the whole situation when he read about how Tom Riddle became a Dark Lord and sealed his eventual downfall by murdering James and Lily Potter.  Then he started to read about their son, Harry.  An hour later, his hands were shaking ( _Those kids have been through so much!)_ as he reached for the book that gave the specifics about Hermione’s story and he felt the cat, who had been curled up in the seat next to him, come and sit in his lap instead.  He was grateful for the cat’s presence and the intensity of his purrs when half an hour later, the Hulk came roaring to the surface after he read about the attack at the Department of Ministries and the life threatening injuries that the young witch had received there.  _Pretty Witch hurt!_ he exclaimed to Bruce. Fortunately, the cat’s presence served to remind him that Hermione was there with him in New York and that she was safe.  That kept the Other Guy from taking over completely and he was able to calm down enough to finish reading.  Bruce now completely understood why Hermione thought that reading the story first would be best.  Neither he nor the Big Guy would have been able to get through even a fragment of it, if Hermione had to suffer by reliving the events in order to explain it.

However, then he picked up the next book and read about her being hunted like an animal, offered to a sadistic werewolf for his pleasure, and then tortured and branded, as well.  Nothing could stop his furious transformation at that point.  Crooks ran into the next room to get Hermione and she arrived just in time to see him the last of Bruce slip from his visage until there was nothing but the Hulk left.  She hurriedly cast a spell to both enlarge and reinforce the room and hoped that she could keep him contained until he calmed down.  She needn’t have worried, though, any thought of _smashing_ left the Hulk’s mind immediately when he saw her standing there. 

“Pretty Witch!” he rumbled and picked her up gently – much as he had that day on the battlefield.  Again, Hermione felt no fear, even though the big green man was probably quadruple her size.  Her trust in him was further reinforced when one look into his concerned green eyes convinced her that he would never hurt her and that he would not let anyone else do so, either.  “Hulk help Pretty Witch!” he exclaimed earnestly.

“I’m okay, Big Guy,” she told him honestly.   “I don’t need any help right now.  See we are all alone in my store.”  The Hulk did look around and his defensive stance relaxed a bit.  “All of that bad stuff happened a long time ago…and I am okay now.  The animals who did that to me are dead and gone.  I am ready to move on now…and I would very much like for both you and Bruce to be a part of my new life.”  She reached up to stroke his face with real affection and his eyes closed in pleasure at the feeling. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you again, though.  I just wish that you didn’t have to get angry for that to happen.”

His eyes flew open at that remark.  “Pretty Witch like Hulk?” he asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

“Of course, I do!  I like both you and Bruce very much!” she answered confidently – and then she leaned over and kissed him gently on the nose.  He was just another aspect of Bruce, after all – and he seemed to care about her in his own right.  The Hulk grinned almost roguishly at her, then.  It was such a sight to behold that she just couldn’t help but to put her hands on both sides of his face and kissed him again, this time on the lips.  The Hulk then squeezed her in a hug that still took her breath away -  even though he was being surprisingly gentle and careful with her.  Their affection seemed to soothe the raging beast in him and the next thing she knew she was being slowly lowered to the ground.  In just a minute, she stood in Bruce’s arms again.

* * *

 

“Welcome back,” she said softly as the green faded from his eyes.  “I have to admit, though, that I like the new look,” she teased as she daringly ran her hand over the hair on his bare chest since he had lost most of his clothing in the transformation, as usual.  Her touch made him shiver in a way that had nothing to do with being cold and he felt himself react to it - until he suddenly realized what had happened.  He had transformed on Hermione!  The thought turned out to be the equivalent of an ice cold shower for him and all pleasurable thoughts ceased immediately.  He grabbed her hand to stop the distracting motion and held it still.  

“Oh, Hermione.  I’m so sorry!  What happened?” he asked quietly.  “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”  When Hermione scoffed at that, he looked around.  “What?  He didn’t smash _anything_?”  He then looked at her with such confusion, that Hermione couldn’t help but to giggle as she summoned his ripped clothing, repaired it with a quick spell, and then redressed him with a wave of her hand. 

“No, Bruce.  He didn’t hurt anyone or anything.  Apparently, he was only here for a protection mission.  We talked for a few minutes and when he realized that I was okay, he left.” 

“He talked…and then just…left.  I don’t understand.  That’s not what he does!  That’s not how it works with him!”  The bewildered look on the man’s face was adorable and Hermione couldn’t resist stepping back close to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.  

“Well, I did kiss him.  That seemed to help calm him down,” she responded with a smirk.

“What?” he asked incredulously.  “You…kissed…the Other Guy?”  Then he looked at her with something like awe in his eyes.  “What did _he_ do?”

“He hugged me,” she answered with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. 

“The giant…rage…monster…hugged you?”  Again the disbelief flooded his eyes and he shook his head. 

Hermione laughed and finally looked him in the eye.  “Okay, Big Guy, quit teasing him.  You are making the poor man crazy.  Please show him what happened.”  She watched as Bruce’s eyes flashed green, so she knew that the Hulk was listening.  Bruce then closed his eyes as the memory flashed through his mind.  When he opened them again, he smiled at her.

“I just can’t believe it.  You are amazing!  You actually like him…and he likes you!”

“I will have you know that I am a very likeable person, Dr. Banner…and so are you… _both_ sides of you!”  she said emphatically.  She then kissed him on his nose, much like she had his alter-ego, and handed him his shoes.  “Sorry, but for some reason even if I can dress someone with magic, I have never been able to make shoes work the same way.  Now…are you finished in here?” 

He really looked at the room for the first time.  “Is this room…bigger?” he asked.

“Yes, I enlarged it, just in case he needed more room.  He didn’t.”  She explained before she focused on the wall, muttered a few words, and the room shrunk back to normal size. She also took down the reinforcements as she told him about that unnecessary spell, as well. 

However, she was looking away at that moment so she didn’t see the look of hope that shone in his eyes while he became lost in his own thoughts _.  Room enlargements?  Reinforcements? Kisses? Hugs? No smashing?  Have I finally met someone who doesn’t dread seeing the Hulk…someone who could actually **control** the Other Guy?  Would she even want to? Would she want **me** enough to want to?  _ He thought back to everything that he had just read about her and all that she had done, everything she had been through back in England.  _Would she want to be involved in that kind of life again?  Being involved with me would probably mean being involved with the Avengers – and possibly SHIELD, too.  She acted like she wanted to stay away from them, though. Therefore, how could I possibly ask her to fight again when she probably already carries so many scars, both visible and not, from before?  Being with me is certainly not worth the chance of her getting hurt again, either.  I need to tell her that…_

Completely unaware of the train of thoughts chugging through his mind, she looked at the book on the floor that he was reading when he turned into the Hulk.  She picked it up, put it back on the stack, and then turned back to face him while sending a beautiful, but sad, smile his way.  “I can see that you were in the fourth book, so I can guess what set off the Big Guy.  You were reading about what happened to me in Malfoy Manor, weren’t you?”  At his pained expression and nod of affirmation, she asked quietly.  “Is it terrible of me that I am actually quite glad that you both like me enough to get that upset on my behalf?” 

“No, not at all,” he answered truthfully.  “Is it terrible of me that I find that I am jealous that you kissed the Other Guy?”

“ _That_ is just a little bit messed up – yes,” she admitted with a small smile. 

He couldn’t stop the little bark of laughter that escaped him at her honest statement.  In just another moment, however, his look turned serious.  “A little bit…well…a lot…messed up…describes my life perfectly.  You do know that, don’t you?”  He paused and then decided to lay it all out at once.  “Do you have any idea of what you would be getting into if you…decided…wanted…for there to be… _more_ …between us?

“Yes, Bruce, I believe I do,” she answered his frankness with her own.  “Do you think that my life is anything like normal…especially after what you just read? To be honest, I don’t know if it would be possible for me to even have a normal relationship with a normal person…or even if I would want one in the first place.  In fact, it seems like it would all get terribly boring after a while.”  She paused as she stepped close to him again.  “Let’s see…getting involved with _you_ , however, would mean lots of trouble, bouts of saving the world, really good cups of tea,” then her voice dipped lower as she continued to move even closer to him until her lips were just inches away from his own…“and even better kisses.”  She nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck again.  “Oh, yes, I think I could handle that!  In fact, I am pretty sure that neither one of us would ever be bored again!”  She paused to smile deviously.  “Plus, you are quite the bargain, you know.  I would really get two boyfriends for the price of one out of the deal.  I don’t know where I would be able to find a better offer than that!”

“Boyfriends?” he asked somewhat incredulously, as his arms snaked around her waist and held her firmly against him.

“Boyfriends!” she nodded in confirmation as she planted her lips firmly on his…and during the passionate kiss that followed, Bruce completely forgot any and all of the arguments that he had half-heartedly formed in order to warn her away – even when the Other Guy offered his opinion on the matter.  _Pretty Witch – Friend - Mate!_ the big man announced, echoing the comment he had made in the Tower several days prior.

* * *

When they broke apart this time, Hermione leaned back from him and took a moment to catch her breath before asking, “What now?  Do you want to finish your reading?  I promise you that it doesn’t get much worse than what you have already seen.  I don’t think that there is anything bad enough to summon the Hulk again…I mean he has already seen me fight in a battle, so I don’t think that will bother him too much. Or you can save the last book for later, and we could have dinner and some Q&A, instead?  I’m sure you must have so many questions by now!”

“I think I will finish reading later, if you don’t mind.  The Other Guy isn’t the only one who doesn’t like the thought of you being hurt, you know,” he reminded her softly.

“Oh, Bruce!” she whispered and his hand found its way back into her tumbled hair – even more unruly now since her hair clip had long since disappeared – probably at some point during their first kissing session.  She leaned into his touch for moment until she reached up for his hand, helped him to extricate it from her curls, and then held it as she led him up to her apartment.

* * *

She showed him around the spacious, especially for Manhattan, living quarters that took up most of the second floor on the nonmagical side of the building.  He found that he liked the simple comfortable style and soothing colors of the place - more so than the ultra-modern look of his small apartment in the Tower.  He also tried very hard not to show too much interest in the bedroom – even though the bed did look big and inviting – and, once he saw it, his mind went to places and situations that it probably should not have.  Soon, however, the two of them found themselves back in the big open living room, kitchen, and dining space where Bruce laughed at all of the bookcases.

“You own a bookstore and live above said bookstore…and yet most people would confuse this room as one, as well!” he exclaimed good-naturedly.

“This is my personal library…well part of it, anyway,” she murmured. He just shook his head at the thought that she had more books elsewhere. 

“And I thought _I_ was a nerd,” he muttered.

“I heard that!”

“You were meant to,” he said with a grin. 

His grin only widened when the brilliant and fascinating witch somehow ended back up in his arms.  “So…dinner first or questions?”  she asked.

“How about one question first and then dinner?” he responded.

“That sounds like a good deal,” she agreed.

“Well, I have to admit…I’ve been dying to know.  Will you show me your animagus form?”

“That is what I get for leaving you alone with some Transfiguration books!” she muttered good-naturedly.  “I knew you were listening in on my conversation with Phillip, by the way.”  She sighed dramatically.  “Oh well, I guess a deal is a deal.” 

Then she winked at him and took a deep breath.  In the blink of an eye, she had shifted seamlessly into the biggest lioness that Bruce had ever seen.  He couldn’t help to be deeply impressed…and just a bit irrationally frightened, as well – even though he knew it was Hermione.

“Wow!” was all that he could say at first as the lion stalked over to him only to gently rub her head against his hand in the same way that Crookshanks had done earlier.  “I figured that maybe you were a cat, since you threatened to eat Phillip, but I never…expected…this!”  He paused and looked into her eyes. “And you still retain your human consciousness?” he asked, remembering what he had read. The lioness nodded, even though her head was still in his hand.  “But you can’t talk?” he inquired. The lioness then shook her head while the scientist in Bruce looked on in fascination.

Apparently, his alter-ego noticed, as well, even though he seemed much more excited than scientific about the situation.  _Pretty Witch is big Lion Kitty!_ the Big Guy rumbled and Bruce had the unexpected impression that he wanted to play with the rather large feline in front of him. 

 _Maybe next time, Big Fellow,_ the lioness told _him_ before she froze in her tracks. _Oh, Merlin!  I can hear you in this form!_

 _Pretty Witch Lion Kitty talk to Hulk!_ the Other Guy rumbled with excitement again.

“What?” Bruce exclaimed in surprise since he could only hear the Hulk’s side of the conversation.  He looked down at the big cat, who nodded at him with wide eyes as her tail began to swish in excitement.  He heard the Other Guy laugh at something Hermione said.  Then, all of a sudden, the woman was standing next to him again.

“Oh, now that’s exciting!  Apparently, I can talk to your alter-ego when I am in my alter-ego form. That is fascinating!  I knew that transformed animagi could communicate with each other, but I didn’t know that they could do that!  I wonder if the other Marauders could talk to Moony, too – even when it was not the full moon?  Oh, how I wish that I could ask them!”  she exclaimed and her face turned so sad that Bruce was momentarily worried.  However, that beautiful beaming smile made an appearance again as she had a thought.  “I know, I will go see Bill - maybe this weekend.  Even though he doesn’t transform, he still has a wolf.  I will see if I can talk to it.  Oh, Merlin!  I wonder if Bill’s wolf can communicate with Fleur’s veela.  Oh, I am so excited!  I love a good research project, you know!”

Bruce couldn’t help to laugh at that! “A nerd after my own heart!” he exclaimed with a smile – since he had been just as excited at the thought of studying her animagus characteristics a few moments ago.  Hermione pretended to pout at the terminology for a moment before she transformed again and easily pushed his human body to the floor in her lion form.  He heard his alter-ego laugh again and say, _Puny Doctor!_ as she held him down with her large muscular feline body and started to lick his face with her raspy tongue. “Ugh, cut that out!” he half-laughed, half-choked. All of a sudden, the mood of the encounter made a sudden shift as he realized that his arms were now full of a curvy woman instead of a furry lioness…and that her body was pressed fully against his own on the floor.  It was his turn to growl a bit then, as his body had a sudden reaction to her intimate proximity.  “No fair,” he whispered hoarsely.  “You get to keep your clothes on when _you_ transform.” 

“That situation could be easily remedied,” she answered in a breathy tone and his eyes went wide at her implication.  There was another growl and this time he wasn’t sure if it was his, hers, the Big Guy’s, or the lion’s – but in the end, it just didn’t matter.  He grabbed her and rolled over, pinning her beneath him.  She fisted her hand in his wavy hair and he lowered his head to kiss her and then moved his lips even lower down her neck to make her shiver this time.

All of a sudden, he froze as the phone in his pocket started to ring with a strident sound that was impossible to ignore. “That’s my Avengers emergency tone,” he whispered urgently.  Hermione understood that this meant that it was a very important situation and she tried to contain her massive disappointment as he moved off of her reluctantly and brought the phone up to his ear.  “Banner,” he answered in what he hoped was his normal, matter-of-fact voice as he tried to control his ragged breathing and will down his very physical reaction to the beautiful woman with him.  He watched her while she stood up and tried to straighten her clothing and tame her gorgeously wild hair.  However, he was then completely distracted by the words on the other end of the line.  “What!  When!” he exclaimed.  “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”  He hung up and looked at Hermione in desperation and fear.  “Natasha…Nat…has been captured. I need to get back to the Tower _now_ so that the team can head out to mount a rescue.”

Hermione nodded in understanding. “Let me grab my bag and I will apparate you there.  That will be quicker than any other way.  Maybe I can even be of some assistance to her, or the rest of the team, while I am there.”

Bruce just nodded and was extremely grateful that she understood. He had grown to care for Nat like a sister in the time they had worked together and he didn’t want anything to happen to her. Therefore, he just gave Hermione a quick kiss and a muttered, but heartfelt, “Thank you!” as she threw her bag over her shoulder, wrapped her arms around him, and instantly apparated to the Tower.

 

 


	12. First Impressions

As soon as they appeared in the lounge at the Tower, they were greeted by a “Who the hell are you?” from a very stressed-out Clint.  Tony on the other hand didn’t seem perturbed or surprised to see them.  In fact, he seemed quite delighted.

 “Awesome! _That’s_ how you brought the good doctor home the other night.  He wouldn’t tell me,” said Tony, alternating between approval and pouting. “Anyway, may I tell them now?  My science bro over there said that it was all very hush-hush and that you didn’t want people to know…and I am nothing if not discreet.”  At her nod of acquiescence, he ignored the huffs and snorts of derision from the rest of the group at the end of his statement and continued on talking as if nothing had happened. “Let me have the honor then of performing the introductions here, M’lady,” Tony said in his usual irreverent manner before pointing at the other men in the room.  “This uncharacteristically rude fellow is Clint Barton aka Hawkeye and this strapping young man is Steve Rogers aka Captain America.  Gentlemen, this is my Bookstore Lady aka Coffee Shop Girl aka Pretty Witch aka Brucie’s Gal aka…”

 “Hermione Granger…” another deep and distinctive voice cut in as its owner stepped into the room, “…aka Member of the Golden Trio aka former Undesirable No 2 and Heroine of the Second Wizarding War in Britain aka the Brightest Witch of her Age…”

 “I think you missed one, Mr. Fury,” Hermione said with a sigh.  “You forgot aka the Pissed Off Woman Who Is Going To Kick Kingsley’s Arse The Minute That She Gets Back To England For Bringing Her To The Attention Of A Man Like You In The First Place.”  She took a deep breath and sighed again.  “The answer is still _No_ , by the way!”

 “Now, now, Ms. Granger.  You can’t blame my cousin for knowing what an asset you would be to my little team of special agents.   You, of all people know how important it is to make sure that the bad guys don’t stand a chance…”

 “With all due respect, Director Fury,” Steve interrupted politely.  “I’m sure that Ms. Granger is very good at…whatever it is that she does.  However, I don’t think that this is the best time to be on recruiting duty – especially when one of the members of your _little team of special agents_ is in trouble. 

 “Yes, you are quite right, Mr. Rogers.”  Nick Fury said smoothly.  “Ms. Granger and I can certainly continue this conversation later – especially since you all are such _good_ friends now,” he said with a significant glance over at Bruce and Tony.  Then he turned his attention to his ringing phone.  He listened for just a moment and then he turned back to the group at large, “The Helicarrier is in route and will be here in about an hour.  Estimated trip at top speed will be an additional seven hours after that.”

 “Eight hours!” Clint exploded.  “Tasha needs us now!” 

 Hermione looked at him for just a moment before turning towards Fury.  “How good is your relationship with the magical community here?”  Hermione asked him. 

 The man actually looked sheepish for a minute before he quietly admitted. ‘Nonexistent.”

 “Bloody hell, no wonder you won’t leave me alone!” she exclaimed, irritably – and the other men in the room looked at her in surprise.  “You definitely need to work on your PR skills because that lack of foresight eliminates the possibility of all forms of magical travel.  We can’t get an emergency portkey or get emergency international Floo access and I don’t have time to cut through all of that bureaucratic bullshite today.  The paperwork alone will take several days and I just don’t have the pull here that I do in England to hurry the process along.  Also, I can’t apparate that distance – especially with passengers.  That leaves trying to land on a moving object that I have never even seen before.  That’s not great, not great _at all_!  However I will try…but I definitely can’t go in blind.  Tony, can you quickly pull me up a picture of a big open space inside this Helicarrier thing…someplace with an easily identifiable feature?”

 “Yes, ma’am!” he exclaimed snapping a sloppy salute that made Steve wince. “I just love it when a beautiful woman takes charge!” Tony added and threw a wink over at Bruce.  “This is now all of us, by the way.  Jarvis couldn’t reach Thor, so I guess that Hammer Boy has gone all inter-dimensional on us for the time being.  Therefore, let’s proceed without him and just head on to the nearest monitor station then.”  With that, he quickly led the way down the stairs and into a room that had one of his large clear monitors in it…and nothing else.  He touched it to activate the screen and then asked Jarvis to pull up the Helicarrier photo schematics.

 “You’re not supposed to have access to those, Stark!” Fury growled.

 “Yeah, well, I am not supposed to do a lot of things.” Tony answered.  “When has that ever stopped me, though?”  he commented casually while scrolling through pictures.  “There!” he exclaimed, pointing to one of the main storage bays that sported a bright orange door.  “Will that do?” he turned to Hermione as he touched the screen to enlarge the photo. 

 She studied the picture for a minute. “Yes, I think that I can do that.”  She then turned to the SHEILD Director.  “Fury, get back on the phone to the Helicarrier and tell them to turn around and head on to the target site.  They don’t need to waste the time to stop here first."  Then she looked up at Clint – who was eying her with some unease.  “It will shave off at least an hour – and possibly more - if we don’t have to wait for the Helicarrier to come to us.  I’m sorry that I can’t do more.”  He nodded, just a bit confused as to who this woman actually was and what exactly was going on.  He didn’t know her and he didn’t trust her – no matter what Tony and the Director said about her!  However, he was willing to go along with the situation, for now, if it could get him to Natasha quicker.

 “Alright boys,” she said, adding to the sense of urgency already present in the room.  “Now, I can only do two of you at a time.”  She paused for just a second as she realized what she had said before she quickly added, “Not one word, Tony!”  The man in question then shut his mouth with an exaggerated snap.  Hermione couldn’t help but to laugh at that and noticed that even Nick Fury’s lip had curled up slightly before she continued.  “So, who’s first?  Mr. Fury? Mr. Barton?”  The two men nodded, a bit hesitantly, but neither one of them would admit their uncertainty.  Therefore, she continued.  “I will be right back,” she said to Bruce.  Then she wrapped an arm around each of the two preselected men.  “Just a warning, though…this will probably make you feel sick at the other end!”  she explained.  Then, before they had a chance to respond, all three of them disappeared with a loud _Pop_!       

 “Did she just…?” Steve sputtered.

 “Yes, she did!  That’s _my_ Bookstore Lady!”  Tony said proudly.  “Jarvis, can you pull up the live feed from this particular bay.” 

 “Right away, Sir.” The AI responded and the live video flashed up on the screen just as the three travelers popped into existence there.  The three men on the other side of the monitor watched, amused, as Director Fury lost his lunch and as Clint teetered on the verge of doing the same.  They couldn’t hear what Hermione said, as it was a video-only feed, but they did see her wave her hand and Fury’s mess vanished.  Then she patted Clint on the back reassuringly, before she popped out of view again. 

 In just a second, she arrived back in the room with them.  “Next?” she announced pleasantly, as she held her hand out to the Captain.  “Mr. Rogers?” 

 “Please call me Steve, Ms. Granger. That was quite impressive,” he said as he gently took her offered hand.

 “Thank you…but you must call me Hermione,” she said with a smile and she slid one arm around his waist.  "Tony, are you coming now or with Bruce?”

 “I’ll come with the Cap.  I don’t want to end up wrestling with a giant enraged green bean while teleporting…or whatever the hell this is.  Jarvis…switch to emergency systems while I am gone… you know the drill.” 

 “That I do, Sir.”  Tony nodded at this affirmation from his AI system and then wrapped his arm around the witch.  He had time to throw another wink at Bruce before they also disappeared with a pop. 

 Bruce watched the feed on the screen and was pleased to see that karma immediately paid Tony a visit for that green bean remark when the multibillionaire also decorated the floor of the bay at the end of his trip.  Steve, with his super soldier engineering, was unaffected, of course.

 He watched Hermione vanish the mess again, and thought that she looked a little wobbly.  _How much is this taking out of her?_   he wondered. He waited for her to pop back into the Tower room and then immediately gathered her up in his arms when he saw her sway.  “Rest a minute,” he commanded.  Surprisingly, she listened without an argument.  _Proof of her exhaustion_ , he thought. “Is it too far for you?” he asked concerned. 

 “It’s not the distance,” she whispered.  “It’s just really challenging to land on a moving vehicle – especially a fast one.  Think of it as magical momentum, Mr. Physicist.  Plus, taking multiple passengers is always difficult – even under the best of circumstances.”

 “We can wait…” he started to say.

 “No.  You’re the last one…and I actually like you!” she said with a lighthearted wink.  He was suddenly overcome with gratitude for this wonderful woman whom he knew was downplaying the risks of what she was doing…all to help someone she didn’t even know.  He bent his head to close the distance between them and kissed her gently.

 “Thank you,” he said… “on behalf of all of my friends.”

 “No thanks needed,” she replied dreamily.  “Just keep kissing me like that.”

 “Gladly,” he said, and repeated his actions.

 Hermione then looked up at the screen and sighed.  “We should go.  They are waiting for us,” she said and indicated the four men who stood around the bay - just talking.  _Probably arguing about me,_ she thought and sighed, as she watched Clint gesticulate angrily at whatever Tony just said.  She couldn’t help but to wonder what his problem was with her.

 Then she popped out of the lounge and into the bay for the last time.  However, this time she was the one who looked like she was going to be sick.  She placed her hands on her knees to try to regain her equilibrium, but it didn’t work.  A few seconds later, both Bruce and Tony moved quickly to catch her as she fell to the floor in a dead faint.

 She came to just a couple of minutes later in Bruce’s arms while the men argued over her head.

 “She said it was a magical problem,” she heard Bruce say.  “She overtaxed herself by transporting us all so far and so fast.  Plus, we never had dinner.  You called before we had a chance to eat.”

 “I say that we take her to the med bay anyway and at least give her some fluids,” said a voice that she recognized as Tony’s.

 “Just put her in a bed, so she won’t be in the way, and then we can get down to the business of rescuing Tasha.” That sounded like Clint.  _Why does he sound so rude when I did this to help his girlfriend?_   she wondered.

 “Don’t touch her!” Bruce growled and Hermione thought that his eyes had probably flashed green.

 “Now, Dr. Banner….”  she heard Nick Fury say in warning – and knew it was time to act before things went any further.

 “Stop it, all of you!” she said weakly.  “Someone, hand me my bag, please.”

 “Hermione!” Bruce exclaimed in relief and she was able to open her eyes enough to see the worry on his face. 

 “I’m alright,” she reassured him and reached up to give him a pat on the cheek.  “It just took a little bit more out of me than I realized.  My magic just needs a couple hours to…recharge…if you will.  Think of it as magical dehydration.  I have a potion that will help.”  At this point, Steve picked up the bag that had fallen on the floor when she fell and handed it to her.

 “Here you go, Miss…um…Hermione.”

 “Thank you, Steve.  Bruce, could you help me to sit up a bit.  Thanks.”  She then undid the bag with a spell while Nick Fury looked on with interest. “Don’t even think about it, Fury,” she growled.  “My bag is off limits to anyone who doesn’t want to be hexed or cursed to oblivion.”  To the bewilderment of the men, she then reached into the small tote bag almost up to her shoulder and rummaged around for a moment until she pulled out a smaller bag.  This one she opened and looked at the arrangement of small bottles for a moment before selecting one and downing it. 

 “Don’t be alarmed, but this is going to look really weird,” she warned them – right before the steam started to pour out of her ears.  After just a few seconds, however, it had all cleared and Hermione was able to stand on her own two feet with no problems. 

 “Just a Pepper Up potion,” she informed the men who were all now staring at her in amazement.  “Think of it as a shot of magical energy.  I’m fine now.  Therefore, as Clint said…we can get down to business. Someone else will need to lead the way, though, since I have never been here before.”  Then they all followed as Fury lead the way out of the storage bay with Bruce and Hermione bringing up the tail.

 “Are you sure you are alright?” he asked as he gathered her close to his side. “I must admit you had me frightened.  Even Tony was a bit worried.” Bruce explained as they walked down a corridor. 

 “Nah,” Tony replied as he looked back and shook his head.  “I told the Doctor that you just needed a kiss – like Sleeping Beauty.  I even volunteered for the chore.”

 “The chore!” Hermione exclaimed indignantly, as if she had been really insulted.  “I’ll have you know that it would have been a pleasure to kiss me, Tony.  Just ask Bruce!  At least now, however, I won’t have to sanitize my mouth…and face…and the rest of my body just for good measure!”  The group then entered a conference room at the sound of the good-natured laughter from several of the men who had heard her - despite the overall seriousness of the situation. 

* * *

The laughter and goodwill didn’t last long, however, once they reached the conference/briefing area and the discussion began – especially after Hermione announced her plans. 

 “I’m going with you,” she said clearly in a voice that broached no argument. Fury just nodded with a pleased gleam in his eye.

 Clint Barton, however, obviously disagreed with her statement.  “Look, Ms. Granger…we appreciate your help with the transportation, but this is…our friend…and our fight here.  It is an Avengers matter.  You may have a magic wand or whatever, but that doesn’t mean that you have the knowledge or skills to work with us.  I don’t care if you are screwing Banner and/or the green guy or not…You are not one of us.  You will just be in the way and then we will have to rescue you, too.  I mean, shit, you just passed out!”

 There was a collective gasp from the rest of the group and a deep growl emanated from Bruce’s direction.  Hermione knew without looking that his eyes were now green.  Without turning around, she held up a hand behind her in a placating gesture and the growling stopped.  Both Tony and Fury noticed this with great interest, but Steve was looking at her face.  He saw the sadness that flew across it at Clint’s words, and he suddenly felt like punching his thoughtless friend himself.  However, before he could say anything, Hermione composed her features, stood up, stalked over to the archer at the opposite end of the table, and spoke in a quiet voice.

 “Mr. Barton, Bruce spoke highly of you.  Therefore, I know that you are probably quite a nice guy in any other situation, but that you are extremely worried about your girlfriend right now…and that is why you are lashing out at me in anger and fear at this moment.  Let me make one thing abundantly clear, however, _that_ is the _only_ reason that I am not hexing your bollocks to the wall right now for that highly inappropriate comment about my sex life.  Enjoy this reprieve – especially since it is the only one that you are going to receive.”  She paused for a moment to look around and her eyes landed on the man that she had known the longest.  “Tony, please go sit with Bruce.”  He looked surprised for a moment, but then moved over to the seat next to his friend that she had just vacated.  He nodded his understanding at the implication that the doctor would need to be kept calm for whatever happened next so that he wouldn’t shift into the big, angry, and green guy.  Hermione nodded back and said, “Consider this as my job application, by the way.”  She then turned towards the man in front of her again.  He had gone deathly still and everyone could see his hand twitching - as if he wanted to grab…and use…one of the arrows that obviously were not there at the moment. 

 Hermione saw the movement, but ignored it as she continued.  “As for my knowledge and skills... it is quite possible that I am more prepared than you are for this fight!  I think that you should understand that I have been fighting a magical war since I was eleven years old.  I have been tortured and cursed to a point where most people have been driven mad with the magically-induced pain and I will forever carry the scars to prove it - including the fact that I no longer have the ability to bear children because of it.” Here she paused and pulled her shirt up and over her head, before throwing it unceremoniously to the floor.  This put her carved arm and the thick purple scar that ran diagonally over her abdomen from under her right breast to her left hip, as well as all of the smaller ones on her neck and shoulders, on display before she continued. “Despite all of that, I have fought werewolves, trolls, vampires, and giants as well as the soul of the most powerful dark wizard ever…and I have lived to tell the tale.” 

 She moved closer to him, looked up into his eyes that winced at her closeness, and studied them carefully for a minute.  She saw the conflict in them and softened her voice.  “I have also seen the effects of the _Imperious_ curse enough to know that you have been placed under it before.  You can always tell by the eyes.  Some dark wizard has controlled your mind and body at some point before and you are terrified that it will happen again…that’s why you don’t trust me.”  _Loki,_ she heard someone say in quiet amazement behind her but she didn’t turn to see who it was.  Instead she kept her eyes locked on the man in front of her, who trembled and threatened to lose his composure at his memory of that time.  “I am a witch of the Light – not of the Darkness, Clint,” she explained softly.  “You never have to worry about me harming you or yours – unless you threaten me or mine.  Do you understand?”  He nodded, completely unable to speak.  “Good!” she said as she closed the distance between them and pulled him out of his seat to hug him warmly until his trembling stopped.  “Now let’s go and rescue your Tasha…I can’t wait to meet her!”

 “That was some resume!” she heard Tony’s delighted voice say behind her.  “You’re hired!  Welcome to the Avengers!” She turned to look at him with a smile, and saw Steve’s eager nod, as well.  However, her eyes were drawn to Bruce instead.  He looked at her with the green eyes that she had expected to see and everyone else grew even quieter and they watched him with bated breath as he stood up quickly and stalked over to her.  They had all seen the Hulk transform before and knew the damage that he could cause – especially in an enclosed space like this.  _How close are they exactly?_   _Would Hermione be able to calm him?_ they all wondered.  However, the two that they were watching completely ignored the rest of the group as he gently touched the scars on her arm and stomach and she shivered at the feeling.  Then to the stunned astonishment of their audience, she shifted into her lioness form and gently pushed the man to the floor, so that she could speak to the bigger one inside of him - especially since she realized the vast danger potential of the situation.

 She rubbed his face with her velvety soft head and then looked straight into his eyes, which were still intensely green.  _Pretty Witch have bad hurt marks_! the Hulk keened sadly, but only Bruce and Hermione could hear him. 

 “I’m sorry that you had to find out that way, Big Guy,” she said back to him in the way that only he could hear.  “If we had not been interrupted earlier, I would have willingly shown you all my scars back at the apartment.  However, I want you to remember what I told you, I am not hurt anymore. I also know without a doubt, that you won’t let anyone else hurt me either…and that includes yourself.  Therefore, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t come crashing out here right now, smashing things, and potentially plunging all of us to our deaths…and that includes sending me to mine, remember.”  The Big Guy thought about it and then said, _Hulk not hurt Pretty Witch or Pretty Witch Lion Kitty!  Hulk wait to smash! Hulk make sure nobody hurt!_ Hermione could help but to smile at that.

"Thank you, Big Fellow.  However, if anyone tries to hurt me, you are more than welcome to stop them – unless I tell you not to, okay?  In fact, I am sure that you will get to smash some things very soon.  We are going to rescue Nat, remember?  Therefore, I would really appreciate it if you would send Bruce this memory and then let him come back so that we can figure out our rescue plans.  I am sure that I will see you again in just a little while, anyway!”  Then the lioness climbed off of him so that he could stand up and smoothly transformed back into her human form.  The man with her didn’t say anything.  He just bent down and picked up her shirt off the floor.  He then moved to slide it over her head and she smoothed it down.  Only then did he meet her eyes…brown to brown…as he pulled her gently into his arms.

* * *

For his part, Bruce had just sat there at the table listening to Hermione’s story in dread. He also knew why she asked Tony to sit with him and just waited for the moment of truth…as he wondered if she would be able to magically transport him to the containment cell in time.  Then when she pulled off her shirt and he saw her scars, he felt his rage boil up and knew that he was about to transform. 

 That was until Tony actually looked him in the eyes, despite the green, and said, “Goddamn, Nerd Boy, that woman is _something_!  How did the two of you end up with a hot witch like that, anyway?”

 Bruce knew that Tony was just using humor to try and defuse the ticking timebomb that he had become.  However, somehow it had worked.  He felt the Other Guy rise to the surface…but he stayed there.  Then they both watched Hermione as she hugged Clint and, even though they didn’t like it, they knew that it signaled a peace between the new allies.  Soon, it was all over and they went to make sure that their witch was really alright.  

* * *

 Tony actually waited until they finished their kiss before his natural arsehole tendencies took over. “Well, since the obligatory pissing contest, the _Let me freak everyone out by turning into a large man-eating wild animal_ situation, and the subsequent make-out session are now over, let’s have our briefing.  Then we can all get something to eat, get our gear together, and get some rest before we have to go blow some shit up, or smash it, or throw our shield at it, or shoot arrows into it, or whatever it is that Hermione does…”

 “Spoken like a true leader, Tony!” Steve said, the sarcasm obvious in his voice.

 “Do you know any silencing spells, Witchy Woman?”  Tony asked turning to Hermione.

 “Yes, I do, Tony,” she responded with a smile at Steve. “I know several of them, in fact.  However, something makes me think that I am going to have to save them all up to use on you!”

 


	13. Of Briefings and Beds...

Before she sat back down, she turned to look back at the group.  “Now, I know this mission isn’t about me, so I will make this quick.  However, you all have to know that my involvement with the Avengers will come with conditions.  I know that this all sounds self-important.  However, the skills that I bring to the team will make it worthwhile, I promise!  At any rate, I want to make it clear that I am saying _Yes_ to the Avengers, but not to SHIELD, Mr. Fury.  I have nothing against your organization, but I have my own job and my own life, so I will not work for you.  I might be happy to consult on occasion or mediate with the magical community on your behalf, but I will not be shackled down to that lifestyle _nor_ be a pawn in anyone else’s game _ever_ again. We can discuss it later,” she said quickly when she saw that Fury was about to argue, “but be forewarned that I will not be swayed on this issue.”

She then looked at the rest of the group who were eyeing her with a cross between disbelief and awe, “As for the Avengers, you all have your own lives.  I like that – and I think that it is important.  Therefore, if you need me, let me know.  Otherwise, leave me the hell alone!”  She looked over and saw Bruce smiling at her proudly and it reminded her of what she had told him last night.  “Also, one more thing and then I will let Mr. Fury get on with his briefing.  Like Bruce, I need to operate anonymously.  I obviously have Kingsley’s permission, so I won’t be violating the Statute of Secrecy, per se.  However, I can’t publicly be known as a witch, either.  I won’t out the magical community here like that.”

She paused and Bruce took the opportunity to add his input.  “That is important, guys.  She told me that back in England, she would have to wipe our memories or marry us just for knowing her secret.  I really don’t think that she is into polygamy…at least I hope not…so I don’t really like the alternative if we don’t keep the origins of her powers a mystery.”

Hermione sighed, “Yes…and even though the rest of you are acceptable, I would rather _Obliviate_ myself than have to marry Tony!” she declared while directing a smile at her friend.

“I will have you know that most women think that I am quite the catch,” Tony responded, as if he was actually affronted.

“Poor deluded souls,” Hermione replied, shaking her head.  “They don’t realize that they should throw back the small ones.”  The rest of the men in the room, even Clint, snickered at that.  

“I will have you know that there is nothing small about Iron Man Jr,” Tony all but growled, but then his look turned thoughtful instead.  “Seriously, though, why the secrecy?  Why does the magical community stay hidden?  Why can’t we advertise the awesome fact that we have a witch on our team?”

Hermione sighed.  “You’re a smart man, Tony, so think about it.  Look how the world responds to those that are different and powerful…like they did with the mutants.  What if they realized that a little over one percent of the world’s population was born with magical powers?  What if they knew that there are over three million witches and wizards just in the US right this very minute?   What if they found out that the Dark wizards and witches – like the ones that my friends and I fought -  wanted to exterminate their kind?  Does a little thing like the Salem Witch Trials ring a bell?    Now consider that in terms of 21st century technology.  If people found out, and got scared, then I think that you of all people, Mr. Stark Industries, would understand exactly what could happen then.”

“Shit!” the ex-weapons designer exclaimed as he and the others around the table caught on to her implication.  “It would be a massacre!” 

“Yes, it would…and I don’t even know for which side.”  At these words, they all looked at her curiously, so she sighed again and explained.  “A witch or a wizard doesn’t need a weapon to kill, Tony.  Any one of us could end your life with just two words and a wand…and some, like me, could even do it without the wand - if I really wanted to.”  This statement was followed by an uncomfortable silence for a moment until it was broken by Tony.

“I guess that I should stay on your good side, then, huh?” he said and smiled nervously at her. 

She leaned across the table to pat his hand reassuringly.  “I think that we both know that isn’t going to happen, Tony.”  She then gave him a small smile, as well.  “However, you don’t need to worry!  The majority of the magical community are just regular people living their lives.  You probably run into them all of the time and never even know.  Think about it, you have known me for two years and even you, Iron Man, couldn’t tell that I was anything more than just your Bookstore Lady who happened to become pals with your girlfriend.   Besides me, Bruce here,” she paused to pat the other man’s shoulder affectionately before continuing, “has met several others in the local magical community in just the last couple of days and he could tell you that they are just normal people, too…bookstore owners, college students, bartenders, chefs…the list could go on and on.   The majority of us would never dream of killing anybody and so it is not usually an issue.  However, we do have our bad guys, too, just like every other group does…and you saw what they did to me when I stood up to them.”  She squeezed Bruce’s shoulder reassuringly with one of her own while gesturing to her body with the other.  “Animals like that wouldn’t hesitate to use an _Avada_ , and that is the main reason that the killing spell is considered an Unforgivable Curse and currently carries a mandatory life sentence in magical prison for anyone who uses it.  However, consider the possibility that the use of such a spell could be sanctioned in order to protect our people, if necessary…” She left the sentence hanging and every man in the room suddenly nodded his understanding – even Fury. 

“Good, I’m glad that we are all on the same page,” she nodded pleased that they understood.  “My people want to have a peaceful existence.  We do not want to hurt or to be hurt.  Therefore, it is just easier to keep the magical part of our existence a secret from all but a special few outside of our community.  Fortunately, you guys fall into your own category, so people _expect_ you to be different.  Consequently, I think that my secret will be safe with a few Avengerish tweaks.  I will just get a new name and a cool outfit.  People often tend to have a problem seeing what is in plain sight when it is dressed up a bit.”

Tony opened his mouth, but Hermione quickly shook her head.  “No, you do not get to pick my name, _Iron Man_!”  She ignored his look of disappointment and turned to Bruce instead.  “What do _you_ think?” she asked.

“ _Lioness_ ,” he stated without hesitation.  “You’re a beautiful predator, fast and deadly to your enemies, but extremely protective of your own pride - your family and friends.”

“Ooh, that’s perfect!” Hermione whispered excitedly and the others nodded, as well.  “The odds are good that I will be using my lion form frequently, and the animagus skill is quite rare in the magical community, as is wandless magic.  Therefore, there is a strong possibility that not even other witches and wizards will recognize that I am actually magical - instead of a mutant, inter-dimensional being, goddess, or whatever…if you know what I mean.”  Then she smiled and clapped her hands excitedly.  “Yes, we can make this work.  Boys, I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!” she exclaimed and then went around to give each man a hug before reclaiming the seat next to Bruce.  As she sat down, he noticed the Steve’s pleased look, Fury’s slightly confused one, Tony’s smug one, and Clint’s thoughtful look after she had she had whispered something in his ear.

“What did you say to Clint?” he asked curiously. 

“I just told him the truth - that the Imperious Curse is also considered to be an Unforgivable and if I ever meet that Loki guy, then I am going to kick his arse for him.”   

 _He!He!He!_ _Puny God!_ laughed his alter-ego as Bruce told her that the Hulk had already had that pleasure. 

“Is that so?  Well then, good job, Big Guy!” she exclaimed proudly and saw the quick flash of green in Bruce’s eyes that indicated when the Hulk was listening to her.

* * *

The briefing began in earnest then.  Fury activated the giant screen in the room and pulled up first a map and then the schematics of what looked like a factory as he started to explain.  “As most of you know, Ms. Romanoff has been on assignment in Eastern Europe for the past few weeks – specifically in Bulgaria.”  Bruce wondered why Hermione’s head shot up at this information.  She then she conjured a notebook and pen out of nowhere and started to write, but Fury continued to speak before he could ask what she was doing. “She was sent in to infiltrate and investigate this factory for suspected illegal arms manufacture…or at least a front for international arms smuggling.  However, she actually came across something much more sinister.  It wasn’t a front for smuggling.  It was a front for world domination.”

“What is it with these egomaniacs and world domination?” Clint muttered as he rubbed his face in a mixture of worry and exhaustion.  Hermione and Bruce looked over at him, but Steve was the one sitting nearest him.  He clapped Clint on the shoulder in order to show his support – especially since his earlier anger at his friend had dissipated with the apparent truce between Clint and the new witch on their team.  Tony looked over at the two of them and shook his head, too.

“So…what is the diabolical plan of this particular ijit?"  he asked, turning back to Fury.

“Well, when Ms. Romanoff made her last transmission a few hours ago, right before we contacted your team, she said that they were trying to control the satellites…all of them.  That is never a good sign, so we don’t even need to know the rest of their plan to know that it needs to be shut down!  She also said that there was a computer lab and control center in the heart of the factory,” here Fury paused to digitally draw a circle on the schematic.  “That’s where you need to be, Stark.  You are the technology expert.  See if you can figure out what they are up to and then shut it all down.  If you can’t shut the system down, then blow it sky high!  I suggest you take Dr. Banner’s alter-ego and Ms. Granger with you to clear the way while Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barton extract Ms. Romanoff.”

Clint nodded.  “Where is she being held?” he asked.

“That’s the problem…we don’t really know.  When she made her transmission, she said she thought she had been discovered and then drugged.  She was obviously fighting the effects of whatever they had given to her when the transmission ended.  Therefore, we are relatively confident that they kept her alive, either for information or bait or both.  We just don’t know where.”

Clint growled angrily at that piece of information and Hermione stopped writing to look at him.  She looked thoughtful for just a moment and then spoke out.

“May I make a suggestion then?” 

All heads turned to her, as Fury conceded with a nod.  “You have a tactical advantage that they cannot expect – _me_!  Therefore, if Natasha really is being used as bait, then they will expect all of you to come for her, but they won’t know to look for me – especially if I am not human at the time.”  Fury contemplated the possibilities while Hermione finished explaining.  “I can’t do magic in my animal form.  However, what I can do is disillusion myself, like I did with Hulk at the battle.  Then I can search the factory, incapacitate anyone I find, and pick up information about her location.  If all of that fails, or takes too much time, then I can switch over to lion mode and sniff my way to her location – especially if she is the only woman nearby.  Lions have a very keen sense of smell, you know – and women have scents that are very distinctive from those of men. Not only that, but lions can hear their prey over a long distance.  Therefore, if she is awake, and giving her captors hell, then I will be able to pick up on that, too. I know it a huge stretch of trust on your part,” here she paused and spared a look at Clint before continuing.  “However, I think it would make more sense for the men to go and shut down the satellite operation first and let me handle the initial rescue – especially if we consider the fact that she may be…”  here she paused again before saying what was on all of their minds, “…in bad shape.  If that’s the case, I have some basic healing spells and potions that can help patch her up until we can get her back here to safety and advanced medical treatment.” 

At first, Clint looked like he wanted to argue about her plan to go in alone for the rescue.  However, he then all but deflated at her last words.  Even though he didn’t want to think about it, they all knew that there was a chance that Natasha had been injured, or even tortured for information – especially if she had been drugged first, so she couldn’t fight back.  He finally just nodded, albeit reluctantly, in concession of her idea.  After all, it did seem as if she had a better chance of finding Tasha quickly and covertly, and of helping her afterwards, than the rest of them did.

Some additional wrangling of the rescue plans decided that the known Avengers would disable the operation first and then assist Hermione, if necessary.  They would all stay in contact, via the ear pods, at least while Hermione remained human, so that they could keep track of her whereabouts…and eventually Natasha’s, as well.  Then, if everything went according to plan, they could all be extracted together.

* * *

Since that was all settled, and the briefing was over.  Hermione vanished her notebook and listened as Fury told the team that food would be delivered to their quarters and that they should eat and then get some rest while they could.  Someone would come and collect them in a few hours to help them get their gear ready for the mission.  The meeting broke up then and Tony, Steve, and Clint immediately dispersed to the quarters that they always used while on board the Helicarrier.  Hermione and Bruce just looked at Fury while he cocked a questioning eyebrow at them. 

“Ms. Granger, I assume that you won’t mind sharing quarters with Dr. Banner?” he asked, the amusement obvious in his distinctive voice. 

Bruce flushed a little at his insinuation, but Hermione just cheerfully grabbed his hand.  “Of course not,” she said confidently in a way that immediately put him at ease.  “We will see you in a few hours, Mr. Fury.”  With those words, she pulled Bruce towards the door, paused right outside the entrance to brush her lips against his reassuringly, and then asked him to lead the way.    

Bruce noticed that Hermione was drooping by the time that they actually entered his small room.  It was narrow and consisted of little more than the bed at one end, a small table at the other, and a closet and tiny bathroom in the middle.  He was soon distracted by that however, when Hermione looked at the double bed with surprise.

“Oh…for some reason, I assumed that there would be bunks in here,” she mentioned casually as she gestured towards it.  

Bruce then realized that she had not anticipated having to actually sleep in the same bed with him.  He had to admit that the thought disappointed him quite a bit because, even when he discounted the thought of anything else happening right now, the thought of being able to hold Hermione while she slept appealed to him greatly.  However, he then remembered how tired she looked a few minutes ago – and still did, in fact.  It was not really surprising that she was only thinking about sleep.  After all, she had already put in a full work day at her bookstore and had then dealt with both him and the Other Guy there.  Then she had taken him back to the Tower, met the other men, depleted her magical energy by transporting them all to the Helicarrier, had her showdown with Clint, placated the Other Guy again, explained her situation, and then sat through the briefing on top of all of that. In fact, it was practically a miracle that she had not dropped from sheer exhaustion, yet.  Therefore, he tried to set her mind at ease.

“Please don’t worry about it, Hermione.  I think Steve’s room has two smaller beds.  I’ll just go and bunk with him after we eat,” he said as he led her over to the small table where a couple of food trays already sat. 

“Don’t be silly, Bruce!” she reprimanded him with a gentle smile.  “I was just a little surprised.  I simply thought that there would be military style bunk beds in all of the quarters.”  She paused and shrugged.  “However, I am so tired that I don’t care where I sleep – as long as it is a bed – and even that is negotiable, at this point.” She then reached up to stroke his cheek reassuringly.  “If you happen to be in it, too…well…that’s just a bonus for me, isn’t it?  I have to warn you, though.  I’m a cuddler…and so is my hair!”  She smiled at him, sat down, and then started to eat hungrily since it had been a very long time since she had spent her lunch hour being interrogated by a nosy, but well meaning, Pepper. 

Her response had banished his doubts so effectively that Bruce just couldn’t help but to grin at her affectionately.  “I think that I can live with that!” he answered quite honestly.  Then he sat down and also quickly consumed his late dinner while he eagerly contemplated the pleasant prospect of a few hours of sleep in the company of the woman whom he was beginning to realize had come to mean so much to him in such a short time.

They soon finished eating and left their trays outside of the door to be picked up later.  After they took turns in the bathroom, and made their way to opposite sides of the bed, the physical tension and awkwardness between them became increasingly obvious.  After all, it had been a long time since either of them had shared a bed with someone else – even for sleep.  Therefore, they just stood there looking at each other for just a moment until Hermione broke the silence when she asked him what kind of clothes that he normally slept in.  He looked surprised at the question for a moment, but then told her that his preferred sleepwear were just boxers or pajama pants. 

“What a shame!” She said with a tired, but still saucy, smirk that effectively broke up the tension between them and made him smile.  She then waved her hand in his direction and his jeans, that he still wore from earlier, turned into a pair of comfortable red flannel lounge pants patterned with gold lions.  He looked up at her in amazement.

“Transfiguration is my specialty, remember?” she said to answer the question in his eyes.  “Plus, lions have always meant a lot to me. Remind me to tell you about the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts sometime when we aren’t half asleep.”  She then transfigured her own clothing, as well.  In a moment, she stood there in lounge pants that matched his and a coordinating red tank top, as well.  After a moment, he realized that he was staring, but he just could not help it.  Both her feminine curves and her scars were now on display and she looked beautiful, tough, and vulnerable – all at the same time.  He thought that she was incredible and felt that he should tell her so – as soon as he was capable of speech again.

“Is this okay?” she asked quietly, as she subconsciously rubbed the raised marking on her arm, and he suddenly realized that she could have misinterpreted his silence as disapproval or even disgust.  He just couldn’t allow her to think that!

Therefore, he managed to croak out, “Yes..amazing…just amazing!” when he finally found his voice.  That must have been what Hermione needed to hear because she smiled with relief and then crawled into the bed.  He paused for just a moment to admire the glorious picture she made as she laid down facing him with her lively hair spread out across the pillow – despite the ponytail in which she had tried to trap it earlier.  The sight almost took his breath away and he turned around to compose himself while he took off his shirt and hung it on the hook on the back of the door.  He then turned back in order to join her underneath the covers.  His breath hitched again as she leaned back up, rested her hand on his bare chest, and gave him a slow and gentle kiss.  She then pulled away slightly, and looked rather affected herself as she asked him, “Do you sleep on your back or your side?”

“Either is fine,” he admitted, as he tried to force himself to stay calm despite her sweet kiss and distracting proximity.  He also felt the Other Guy’s interest flare as he came up to the surface, as well. At that point, Bruce wasn’t exactly sure what to do or think about the present situation that they were all in.  Fortunately, Hermione did.

“Good!” she told him. “I think that you will make an excellent big spoon, then!” When she proceeded to laugh at the look on his face, any residual awkwardness between them suddenly vanished.  Without any further preamble, she quickly turned over to face the wall, reached behind her, grabbed his hand, pulled it over her stomach, and tucked it in underneath her – all while she held onto it with her own as her scarred arm draped over his.  Immediately, he heard her release a sigh of comfort and contentment…and then, just like that, she was asleep!

 _Hulk protect sleepy Pretty Witch now,_ the Other Guy suddenly interjected into his thoughts.  To his absolute astonishment, Bruce realized that he was being relieved of duty.  He had never really thought about what his alter-ego did while he was asleep, but he guessed that it made sense that he could maintain a separate consciousness during that time – especially since that was essentially what happened during a transformation, anyway.  He thought about it for a minute and then he realized that he was actually grateful that the big guy was thinking about not only Hermione, but apparently him, as well.  “Thank you!” he muttered back and actually felt the acknowledgment that came from his other side.  It was truly a momentous occasion.  It was the first time that they had actually worked together in any sort of capacity, at all… and it was all because of Hermione.  He couldn’t wait to tell her about it.

Bruce managed to stay awake for just a few more minutes after that.  It was just long enough to marvel about Hermione and how she had inspired such a change.  Then his thoughts shifted to how amazing it felt to have so much of her body curved against his as he held her while she slept…exactly like he thought it would.  He also realized that she had not been joking when she said that her hair liked to cuddle, too!  Even though she had attempted to tame it a bit by pulling it back before she came to bed, it was still _everywhere_ and almost seemed to have a life of its own.  He soon realized that it would be an impossible feat to keep it out of his face – especially since he didn’t want to let go of her in order to reach up and push it away properly.  Therefore, he just gave up, tightened his grip on the wonderful woman cuddled up to him and then soon fell into a deep and comfortable slumber himself.  Meanwhile, even though his host body slept, the wakeful Hulk stood guard over his sleeping mate.


	14. The Mission

**Preparation**

All too soon, Hermione was awakened by a tap on the door.  She had never lost the habit she acquired during the war, especially when they were on the run, of being a light sleeper.  However, she could tell that Bruce didn’t have that issue.  She could hear his gentle snores from behind her and his arm was still draped over her, so she knew that he was fast asleep.  Therefore, she slipped out of bed silently before turning around to look at him.  Her heart gave a little flip as she saw the man, who was beginning to mean so much to her, lying there asleep.  He looked so relaxed and comfortable that she decided that she would let him stay that way for as long as she could.  Just then, the tap sounded at the door again, so Hermione went to it and opened it warily to reveal a woman dressed in the typical SHIELD black jumpsuit.

“Ms. Granger, I’m Agent Maria Hill.  Director Fury asked me to help you get some gear together for the upcoming mission since you don’t have an established kit, yet.”  The newcomer stated all of this in a very matter-of-fact way while her eyes flicked over Hermione’s exposed scars.  Even though her professional demeanor never changed, Hermione thought that her eyes softened and her voice was a little less brisk when she continued. “You don’t have to get dressed, if you don’t want to, since you will be able to pick out a general outfit from our supply room that is suitable for your special skill set…which I understand includes physical transformation…until we can get something custom made for you.  We have bathroom and shower facilities there, as well.”  She saw Hermione glance behind her back towards the bed.  “Don’t worry about Dr. Banner.  Someone will be along later to assist him, since he doesn’t really require much in the way of special equipment.”

“Except maybe some stretchy pants,” Hermione said with a smile which was unexpectedly returned by the other woman. 

“Believe it or not, we have been working on that,” Agent Hill replied with a light laugh, “but we just haven’t perfected it, yet…and until we get it right, we don’t think that either Dr. Banner or the Big Green Guy would appreciate having his pants completely ripped off.”

“Not in public, at any rate,” Hermione snickered and the agent laughed again as she proceeded to lead the way to Supply.

* * *

By the time that they reached their destination, the two women were on a first name basis and it was obvious that they were going to be friends.   Once in Supply, Hermione took advantage of the bathroom facilities there to freshen up and to take care of her basic morning hygiene.  Once she emerged in the supplied dressing gown, Maria led her over to a rack of the basic jumpsuits similar to what she herself wore…and Natasha, as well…if Hermione remembered correctly from the few pictures that she had seen.

“Will these work?” Maria asked.  “We also have some separated two pieces, if those would suit your needs better.  Your file said that one of your skills was animal transformation, but it didn’t give any extra details. Do you need to undress for that?”

Hermione smirked.  “I have a file?  That was fast – especially since I have only been an Avenger for a few hours.”

“Well, to be honest, your file itself is about two years old. It was started when you moved to New York from England, I believe.” Maria stated apologetically. “However, the animal transformation part was _just_ included as an addendum.”

“Two years!” murmured Hermione with a resigned sigh as she remembered Fury’s persistence since her arrival in NY.  Then she took a deep breath and shifted into her lioness form without warning.  At Maria’s gasp of surprise, she rubbed her head against the woman’s hand and then transformed back.  “No need to undress.”

“Indeed!” agreed the suitably impressed agent.  “Will the jumpsuit work for you then?”

Hermione agreed that it would.  She picked out one and made some modifications with transfiguration while her companion watched the proceedings with interest. After cargo pockets were added – complete with expansion charms, of course – the color was contemplated.  “Natasha is the Black Widow…and wears black.  That makes sense.  However, I don’t want to copy her look, so I need to make mine a little more _Lioness-y.”_ Hermione stated as she flicked the suit through a few color choices before she tried a deep and rich tawny honey hue.

“That’s the one!” Maria insisted.  It’s perfect with your hair and eyes…not to mention that it matches the coloring of your lion form.” 

Hermione tried it on and had to agree with Maria as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.  Under the lights, the color was almost golden.  She was never one to think much about her looks, but even she had to admit that the suit complemented both her figure and her coloring well.  She moved away from the mirror then to also select a pair of boots.  She placed a cushioning charm on them and color-changed them to match the snug fitting jumpsuit, as well.  Finally, Maria helped her to French braid her hair tightly.  Some of it immediately escaped, of course.  However, the loose tendrils actually framed her face attractively, so she found that she couldn’t complain.  Overall, the look was perfect…especially since someone would have to look _very_ closely to recognize this attractive and formidable woman as _the_ conservative Hermione Granger, Bookworm Extraordinaire. 

First, she stuffed her ever-present tote bag into one of her expanded pockets and smiled at the fact that no bulge could be seen or felt from the outside.  That meant that her spellwork was holding up nicely.  Then, after refusing a visit to the armory with a simple, “Thanks, but all I need are my hands, Maria,” she was ready to rejoin the men.  She had been informed that they were all awake, and had retrieved their normal kits while she was putting one together for herself.  She thanked her new friend for her help with a hug, and received one in return.  She then found the rest of the team all waiting for her in the same conference room as the night before.

As she entered the room, she had to pause when she saw the men suited up in the iconic outfits with the weapons that they had made famous.  It took her breath away all of a sudden when it hit her that she really was about to go into battle with them…on purpose this time.  Before she could process how she felt about this, though, Fury saw her and immediately gave her a frank look of approval from his one discerning eye.   Understandably, Clint, who was talking quietly with Fury, was harder to read.  Regardless, he still gave her a nod of acknowledgement…even while he fidgeted with his bow.  Bruce, however, was standing on the other side of the room with his back to her while he spoke with Tony and Steve.  Hermione winked at Tony whose eyes bugged in appreciation as he saw her.  Before, he could say anything Tony-ish, however, Steve also sent an admiring smile her way while he nudged Bruce.  The doctor turned around to see the _Lioness_ standing there and his jaw just dropped.  Words seemed to fail him, until Tony laughed and gave his friend a small push.

“Go to her, Man, before Cap decides to take your place.  He is the only one without a gal pal now, you know!”

The Other Guy pushed his way up to admire her, too.  _Pretty Witch is gold– just like big Lion Kitty!_ the alter-ego exclaimed, even though only Bruce could hear him.  Bruce had to agree with him as the lights reflected off of the form-fitting honey-colored suit that enhanced her feminine shape – even through its obvious utility.  He was reminded of his reaction to her the night before. _Beautiful…but tough!_ he thought _._ This seemed to motivate Bruce’s feet and he crossed the room to join her.  “You look…fantastic!” he muttered, a bit uncertainly, since he was well aware that they were being watched by the rest of the team.

“So do you,” she answered, obviously pleased with his approval while she returned it with a frank appraisal of her own.

“I look exactly the same,” he answered and a bit of self-deprecation crept into his voice while he shook his head.

“Exactly!” Hermione exclaimed and then Bruce could not stop the grin that then threatened to take over his face.  This beautiful woman made him feel a confidence that had been lacking in his life for a very long time…and he really liked it – just like he really liked her.  In fact, he was even beginning to suspect that his feelings already went so far beyond mere _like_ that it was a bit scary to consider.  After all, they had not really known each other very long.  It did not seem to matter, though.  Something _special_ had already happened between them.  In fact, Bruce realized that all he wanted to do at that moment was to take her into his arms and explore those feelings…and a few other ones, as well!

The two of them had work to do first, however, and a rescue to mount.  Therefore, he forced himself to be content with holding her hand as he led her over to the conference table and took a seat beside her.  There they both smiled in thanks at Maria, who had returned with a sandwich for her since the men had already eaten a quick meal of their own.  The group then had their final briefing and before they knew it, it was time to go.

* * *

Tony used the Iron Man suit to fly down first and scope out the area.  He found an isolated space in the nearby forest for the others to set down.  Once they were all assembled, Bruce turned to Hermione with concern.  His second thoughts were written all over his face.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.  “Everything moved so fast…but you don’t have to do this, you know.”  He then added in a lower tone, “Not for me…I’m just not worth it.”

The look Hermione gave him in return bordered on righteous anger.  “First of all, you are worth _so_ much more…but I am not doing this _just_ for you.  I have never turned my back on a friend…and I am not going to start now.  I may not know Nat personally, but all of you do…and you are all my friends now…and I hope that she soon will be one, too!  First, we have to rescue her, though.  Therefore, you need to stop this nonsense.  I know that you mean well, but you have to let me do my job!”

He was so surprised at this unexpectedly vehement side of her that he could only nod his head in agreement.  Her look softened immediately and she rushed to give him a sweet kiss that turned quite passionate before she pulled away slightly to whisper in his ear.

“Let’s go save the world.  It _is_ what we do best, you know.”    Then she paused to look him straight in the eyes before murmuring in a low voice meant for his ears only, “However, when we are done with that, I plan to show you exactly how much you are worth to me while we finish what we started earlier!”  The quiet promise in those words set him on fire, almost as much as the accompanying smoldering look did before she detached from him completely.  The heat turned momentarily into confusion then as she winked…and immediately disappeared from view.  He registered the look of surprise on the faces of the others, as well, until he clearly heard her voice say, “Alright, Boys, I’m going in.  Good luck…and be careful!”  He then realized that she had simply disillusioned herself.  Even though he longed to grab onto her and hold her safely in his arms, he simply looked in the direction that he knew she had gone – off to complete her part of the mission.  He could feel the Other Guy come up to the surface in concern, as well, and realized that he could change right then and there, if he wasn’t careful.

“I know that you are worried about her, but try to hold on for a few more minutes before letting the Hulk out.  We need to retain the element of surprise.”  The Captain said understandingly as he patted Bruce on the shoulder before turning to catch up with Clint and Tony.  Soon all of the men had followed Hermione’s lead and were headed in the direction of the factory. 

* * *

**The Rescue**

Just a few moments after entering the building herself, Hermione could hear the crashing, smashing, and explosive sounds that she knew signaled the arrival of the rest of the group…including the Big Guy, who had become so near and dear to her, along with his smaller alter-ego.  As she thought about Bruce, she remembered the exciting promise that she had made to him and she smiled to herself as she continued her search for Natasha.  The sooner that the Black Widow was safely back with her friends, the sooner _that_ particular promise could be fulfilled!  Hermione flushed to think about it, as she continued to wind her disillusioned self around the labyrinth of corridors looking for the missing woman.  After covering most of the building without any results, however, she soon decided to change her tactics.  She just was not making any progress this way.  Therefore, she found a hidden alcove, removed her disillusionment spell, and shifted into her lioness form instead.

Almost immediately she caught a whiff in the air that was completely different than the distinctly masculine scents around her and her feline mouth stretched into a wide toothy grin.  Natasha was nearby.  _Gotcha!_ she thought triumphantly as she changed back into her disillusioned human self once more and strode unerringly into the right direction this time with confidence _._

* * *

Natasha also heard the noises from below and could guess that the rest of the team had finally arrived.  Her friends weren’t really subtle when it came down to business and often advertised their presence – _especially_ the Hulk.   She grinned secretly to herself as she thought about the rampaging green giant as she strained at her bonds again, but there was still no give.  Her captors had taken full advantage of her drugged stupor to restrain her so thoroughly that she couldn’t free herself – even though she was usually quite talented in that area.   The three men on guard laughed as they watched her struggle in vain.  One even spoke to her in same local dialect that she had been using before her cover was blown. 

“Your friends won’t be able to help you.  We are ready for them!”  He then cocked his gun to prove his point.  Natasha snorted in derision at how clueless he was, if he thought that his bullets would do anything against the Hulk’s hide, the Captain’s shield, or Iron Man’s armor.  He didn’t take kindly to her mirth, however, and backhanded her hard.  The large ostentatious ring on his hand left a gash across her cheekbone as he smirked at her and his eyes raked down her body. 

“You would do well to learn your place, woman!  Perhaps I will teach you another lesson once we dispose of your friends.”  Her only response to this obviously lecherous comment was a murderous look.  She knew that she would not regret the loss of this cocky one at all, if it came down to that.

She then watched with disbelief as the man who had struck her suddenly froze in midair and hit the floor – as straight and stiff as a plank.  He wasn’t dead, however, because his eyes still moved furiously – even as ropes appeared out of nowhere to bind his hands and feet.  Nat looked at the door to see that it was open now, even though she clearly remembered seeing it closed right before the guard hit her.  Nobody had entered or left, though – at least not anybody that she could actually see.  Just then the second guard hit the floor in the same fashion as the first one had.  The third guard did not seem to take kindly to the invisible attacker, however, and sent several shots into the seemingly empty room.

“Bloody hell, man.  Put that away before you hurt yourself!” exclaimed a feminine voice with a distinctive British accent, even though she spoke in clear Bulgarian.  It wasn’t exactly the local dialect, but the meaning was very clear – especially when the golden woman suddenly popped into view.

“Who the hell are you?”  Natasha could not help but to ask and Hermione just sighed.

“You and Robin Hood out there must make the perfect couple.  Those were his first words to me, too!” she replied while she also threw a _Stupefy_ and then an _Incarcerus_ at the remaining guard.  Then she paused when she realized what she had said.  “Damn!  I sounded just like Tony right then, didn’t I?”  she asked before she murmured a spell to magically release the restraints that held the woman.

“You did a bit, actually!” Natasha admitted grudgingly as she reached up with her newly released hand to gingerly touch the gash on her cheek while she eyed the apparent _witch_ with a touch of disbelief…and quite a bit of distrust, as well.  (After all, just like Clint, she remembered Loki and his actions all too well!)  However, the unknown woman obviously knew Clint and Tony…and sounded as if she was there at the factory _with_ them!  Her next words seemed to confirm that fact.

“Well, let me introduce myself.  I’m Hermione and you must be the very popular Natasha to have inspired that particular group of very good-looking and muscular men downstairs to come all the way from New York to rescue you!  Here, let me get that for you.” Hermione said and then muttered a light healing spell that cleared up the gash instantly - leaving just a streak of blood behind – which she also removed. 

“Nice to meet you, Hermione,” Natasha muttered while rubbing some feeling back into her recently freed ankles and wrists and purposely not taking her eyes off of the other woman.  She needed to be ready to attack the stranger, if necessary.  “Now, not to sound too ungrateful for your help, but I think I need to ask again.  Who…are…you?”

“Well, we have not actually had a chance to finish defining our relationship yet or anything.  You really did get captured at the most inconvenient time, you know,” Hermione sighed again as she spared a moment to remember what had been happening on her lounge floor when Bruce received the call to arms.  “At the very least, however, I guess that you could call me Bruce’s girlfriend.”

“Bruce’s what …?” the other woman started to ask, obviously shocked.  _Bruce had a girlfriend?  When..how…had that happened?  What about the Hulk?_   However, her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of another big burly man who had come to warn his colleagues about the imminent Avenger invasion. 

Natasha immediately noted two things - the surprise on his face when he saw the two women in the room and the gun in his hand that was pointed directly at the witch.  “This one is mine!” She informed Hermione as she quickly launched herself into the air with a spinning kick that sent the gun flying out of his hand.  Then a second lower kick knocked his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor.  Hermione took that opportunity to _Accio_ the gun and handed it to the other woman before she cast another _Incarcerus_ to bind the newly prone man, as well.

 Even though she was far from powerless without it, Natasha savored the feel of the weapon in her hand for just a moment until she was distracted by Hermione’s slightly amused statement. “Well, I take that impressive display to mean that you are not hurt anywhere else.”  Nat only had time to shake her head to confirm that she was fine before Hermione touched her earpod and announced to the team that their friend had been released, the guards had been immobilized, and their location was secure.  She also took a moment to assure them that Nat was apparently healthy, unharmed, and still able to kick arse - since she knew how worried that they had all been.   She then received Clint’s quiet but fervent “Thank you!” before Tony cut in. “Good work, Glinda!  We’ve made a bit of a mess down here so the Big Guy is on his way now to give you two delicate ladies a ride out of there.  We would hate for either of you to break a nail or anything!” Hermione only had time to give him a small snort of derision for his sexist comments before both she and Natasha turned towards the loud crashing sounds that came from the corridor outside the room.  Just a moment later, the Hulk smashed right through the wall.

“Well, speak of the big, handsome, green devil!” Hermione said with a grin and she reached for the other woman’s hand to pull her towards the largest member of their team.  It was a testament to the bewildering chain of events that the infamous and deadly Black Widow, who was normally prepared for anything and everything, just stood there with her mouth open in shock.  She could do nothing but watch in amazement as the giant rage beast, the one who had even tried to smash _her_ once before, gently picked up the petite witch with obvious delight - and, for lack of a better word, _cuddled_ her.

“Pretty Witch!” the Hulk exclaimed as he buried his nose in Hermione’s hair.

“I’m alright, Big Guy,” she giggled.  “We both are!”  He turned at that moment and grinned happily at Natasha before he patted her on the head like a puppy. Natasha could only blink in surprise.  _Did the Hulk just **pet** me? _ she thought with wonder as Hermione started to speak again.  “Where are the others?” the witch asked the big green man.  He simply pointed behind him - just as the rest of the team burst in through the new opening in the wall.  Clint immediately pushed his way in to the front of the group and headed directly for Tasha.  He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her with both relief and passion.  Hermione watched their reunion with satisfaction for a just a moment, before she followed his lead and kissed the Hulk – whose big face grinned with uncharacteristic delight. 

“Now, there’s something that you don’t see every day.” Steve commented as he saw the two couples as soon as he entered the room.

“Not that this isn’t a charming…if somewhat disturbing, sight…”  Tony exclaimed, as he entered the room behind the Captain.  “However, I need for all of the lovebirds in the immediate vicinity to cease in their mating dances so that we can get the hell out of here.  The local authorities will be swarming this place any moment now – and we don’t want to get caught up in that circus!  Fury has people to deal with that kind of stuff instead, you know.”  He paused, however, when he saw the neatly trussed up guards in the room.  “Well, damn, _Lioness_ , you actually do have some claws on those pretty little paws of yours!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, _Iron Man_ ,” Hermione remarked in a matching tone as she patted the Hulk’s cheek and prompted him to set her down.

“Hulk lead the way!  Get Pretty Witch and friends out safe!”  the big man grunted as he put his mate down carefully.

“Wait a moment.  Let me send a quick message first,” she responded as soon as they were clear of the room.  Then the rest of the team watched in confused amazement as she conjured a large misty lioness and told it to “Please deliver this urgent message to Viktor Krum at the Bulgarian Auror Headquarters - or wherever he is located at this moment.”  She then proceeded to record her message. 

 _“Hello, Viktor.  You might want to send your best Muggle liaison to this location.  Be prepared to deal with law enforcement. It’s a long story that I will explain later, but I am working with the Avengers now.  We stopped some big world domination kind of stuff here tonight and you might want to check it out.  I didn’t detect any magical activity…but you never know.   I was on rescue detail and did not have time to inspect the whole facility.  Therefore, you may want to follow up - just in case._ _At any rate, please give Ana and your little Tsveta my love, as well.  I hope to see all of you soon.”_

With a flick of her wrist, the misty lioness then glided away to deliver the message.  As one, the rest of the team turned to her for an explanation.  Hermione just laughed before clarifying.

“Viktor is an old boyfriend,” she stated before she turned towards the Hulk who had growled at this information.  “Hush you!  I already told Bruce when we were in the pub, so I know you heard about him, as well. It was a long time ago and he is now married with a child…and with another on the way, as well.”  After she had chastised the now jealous and sulky big green man, to the combined amusement and astonishment of the others, she turned back to the rest of the team.   “At any rate, even though he used to be a professional Quidditch player while we were dating, he is now the head Auror in this region…just like my best friend, Harry, is in the UK.  I thought that this would be something that he might need to check out – just in case someone in the magical world is mixed up in it.”  She shrugged and continued to walk through the building after gesturing for the Hulk to lead the way. 

“What’s an auror?” asked Steve, following her.

“And what was with that ghost lion thing?” Tony asked, coming up behind Steve.  At this point, the whole team was conversing via earpods – including a still very confused Natasha, who had received one of the devices from Clint soon after their affectionate reunion. 

“An auror is like magical law enforcement.  They hunt down the bad guys of our world – like the dark wizards that I told you about earlier.  Fury’s cousin, Kingsley, was one during our war, before he became the Minister of Magic,” she explained before continuing.   “That _ghost lion_ , Tony, was my patronus.  Think of it as my spirit animal, if you like.  It’s a complex bit of magic that can provide protection against certain dark creatures.  It can also deliver messages, as well…since most people in the European magical communities don’t carry mobiles…I mean…cell phones.”  After a few more questions and answers about everything from the Ministry to Quidditch, they had pushed their way through the building and out to the clearing where they had landed earlier.

“Ahh, here comes my answer,” Hermione exclaimed as the large misty shape of Viktor’s brown bear patronus lumbered through the trees towards her.   As soon as it reached her, it opened it’s maw and the familiar sound of Viktor’s slightly amused and heavily accented English issued forth.

_“Herm-Own-Ninny, what haff you done **now**?  Why are you wiff Avengers?  Dis is a story I need to hear – soon!  Come dis Sunday, we will haff dinner with family and talk like old times.  At any rate, I will send best Muggleborn gendarme out there now – not as smart as my Herm-Own-Ninny, but he will do fine job!  Many fanks for your…what do you call it…ahh… **heads up** , my skŭp priyatel. *****_

“Message received,” Hermione acknowledged and the bear faded away.  She then turned towards the group.  “That’s it then.  Let’s get out of here.”  She looked meaningfully at the Hulk.  “I am _so_ ready to get home!” she exclaimed as she walked back over to him and grinned as he picked her up again.    She then kissed him and reassured him that she (and everyone else) was alright and that she would see him again soon – in one way or the other. “Therefore, it’s time for Bruce to come back now, Big Guy,” she murmured. After their affectionate moment, she found herself on the ground again, but in a smaller set of arms this time.  When the transformation was complete, Steve dug his friend’s tattered clothes out of his pack and passed them over to Hermione.  After thanking him profusely for his thoughtfulness, she expertly transfigured them into their original condition and spelled them back onto Bruce’s nearly naked person.  Then, she giggled and he looked at her a little sheepishly as she handed him his shoes - since they both remembered how the exact same thing had happened in her store on the previous day.  Natasha, who had been watching their interaction intently from the sidelines, finally could not take it anymore and suddenly exclaimed out in a tone crossed between the surprise and irritation of someone who had not been caught up to speed…

“Now that _that_ is all settled…could someone please tell me what in the _hell_ happened while I was gone?”

* * *

* skup priyatel = Bulgarian for “dear friend”

 

 

 

 


	15. Homeward Bound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who might be interested, a sequel to this story is also in the works. After all, Bruce and Hulk have to meet Hermione's friends back in England, too! ;)  
> 

* * *

 

Much to her displeasure, Hermione realized that she was not going to be able to sneak off for her promised alone time with Bruce after they arrived back on the Helicarrier.  First, they all had to have their post-mission physical exams to insure that that were all still in peak condition and had not been exposed to anything harmful during their excursion.  Hermione’s exam took even longer, however, because she did not yet have the benchmark data with which to compare her current status.  When she finally finished up with Medical, she walked out into the corridor and found Clint sitting by himself right outside of the medbay.  She plopped down tiredly in a chair next to him.  “Where is everybody?” she asked in a purposely casual manner since she did not want him to be uneasy around her.

 He glanced at her sheepishly before answering.  “I’m waiting for Tasha.  She had to go back in to get a counteragent treatment for whatever she was drugged with so there will be no long term effects.  Bruce is with Fury now, but it will be your turn next since the rest of us have already been.  The entire team is usually debriefed separately, you know.  Other than that, I think Tony and Steve went to the mess to find something to eat.  You will soon find out that Tony eats like he talks…constantly and with great enthusiasm!”  Hermione snickered at that and Clint looked amused for a moment before his face grew serious.  He then looked down at his shoes instead of her when he said, “Look…about earlier…I was way out of line.  However, I just can’t thank you enough for what you did for us today.”

 “Clint,” she said softly and he reluctantly looked up at her.  “I told you earlier that I understood.  Nobody knows better than me what dark wizards are capable of…and no thanks are necessary, either.   We are all on the same team, now, and I am sure before everything is said and done, you two will save my arse more than once!”  She grinned so cheerfully at him that he could not help but return it.

 “Bruce is a lucky guy,” he said honestly.  “I am glad that he found you.  I don’t know if there is anybody else out there that can handle the Big Guy the way that you do.  It’s amazing to watch.” 

 “I think I might be the lucky one,” Hermione demurred.  “After all, not only do I get two new men in my life out of the deal, but I now have a whole new set of friends, as well!”  With those warm words, she reached over to grab his hand and squeezed it affectionately.

 “Well, isn’t this a lovely sight?  Do I need to be worried?” Another voice asked with amusement from the doorway next to them. 

 “Tasha!” Clint exclaimed and jumped up to embrace the newcomer.  “Are you finished?  Were they able to…”

 “The drug has been completely neutralized, yes.  I am fine.  Don’t make a fuss.” Natasha interrupted calmly before turning to Hermione.  “Clint told me what an ass he was to you before the mission.  I apologize.  I am glad to hear that you joined the team, anyway.  It will be nice to have another woman around – especially one with skills - to tone down all of this testosterone.”  As Hermione met Natasha’s eyes, she realized that a lot was actually being said with that deceptively simple statement.  She nodded her agreement.  Then, when Natasha caught her eye, both women suddenly laughed and their friendship was sealed.  “So you and Bruce?” Nat asked just as the man himself became visible at the end of the long corridor.  Hermione nodded with a pleased little smile as she watched him approach.  “ _And_ the Big Guy?” Nat asked with interest.

 “I think so,” murmured the witch.  “However, it’s…complicated.  We’re still working out the kinks.”

 “Hmmm,” Natasha answered.  “A word of advice…you may want to leave some of the kinks in.  They can be a lot of fun, you know!”  Then the woman laughed at the blush that suddenly raced across Hermione’s face just as Bruce arrived. 

 He wrapped his arm around the obviously embarrassed Hermione and looked between her and the still laughing Black Widow.  “Do I even want to know?” he asked Clint, who was still standing next to the women. 

 Hermione just shook her head and hid her face in his shoulder when their now mutual friend just smirked and said cheerfully, “Oh, I am sure you will find out soon enough!”

* * *

A quick kiss was all that Bruce and Hermione had time for before it was her turn to sit down with Fury in the room that served as his office on the Helicarrier. After she gave the details about the sequence of events from her point of view, the director spoke.  “I am very impressed with what I have heard from Ms. Romanoff and the rest of the team about your first successful operation with the Avengers, Ms. Granger,” he told her honestly.  “I think your skill set was exactly what this team needed!”  He also informed her that Kingsley had been updated on her current status as an Avenger and wished to see her as soon as she could find the time to drop by for a visit.  Fury then expressed concern that she had contacted an outside agency (i.e. Viktor Krum) without his express authority, but had apparently already discussed that with his cousin, as well.  He realized that her intuition and trust was well-placed since Kingsley obviously approved of the inclusion of the Bulgarian auror, as well.  Therefore, Fury reluctantly gave her permission to use her best judgement when it came to all things of a magical nature.  Hermione smiled, and thanked him, but also told him politely that she did not need his permission – since she did not technically work for him. 

 Fury glared at her with his one good eye for a moment before he broke out into a surprisingly hearty laugh.  “Well done, Ms. Granger.  However, I had hoped that you would not realize that little detail quite so quickly!”  At that remark, Hermione smirked again and rose to leave.  However, she was stopped one more time by the sound of his voice, which had turned serious again.

 “Your magic is not your only value to this team, you know.”  Fury said a little more quietly this time – and he sounded sincere.  “This is not something that I have mentioned to the rest of them.  However, it has come to my attention that your personal relationship with Dr. Banner might have a bigger advantage than any of us could have predicted.”  At her puzzled look, he went on to explain.  “There is no question that the doctor and his alter-ego are major assets to our operations.”  Fury paused for a moment before he continued. “However, it is equally as obvious that the Hulk is a huge liability, as well.  Every time he has made an appearance, the outcome of his actions and the process of his return to normal form has been completely…unpredictable…and not open to any kind of outside influence – despite our best efforts.”  Fury paused again to send her a significant look. “Until now – that is!  It seems as if you actually have a special affinity, not only with the doctor, but with the Hulk, as well. It appears that you can influence the Big Guy, whether he has completely physically manifested or not.  Therefore, I am now…cautiously optimistic…that certain precautionary measures, such as the containment cell…and other arrangements…will no longer be considered as a necessary evil in order to protect the safety of others.”  He saw her stiffen in sudden anger at the thought of what the “ _other arrangements”_ might entail and rushed to clarify.  “Ms. Granger, I hope you understand that I truly meant that as an expression of confidence… _not_ as a threat.  I do not want any harm to come to Dr. Banner, if it can be prevented.  That is where I hope that you come in.”

 Hermione understood very well what was carefully not being said.  Steps had actually been taken to insure that the Hulk could and would be _destroyed_ , if it seemed necessary.  Her practical side understood this - just like she knew that Bruce probably had heartily approved of this plan himself.  After all, even though she had not deemed it necessary to tell him, back when she had researched her new friend after the Battle of New York, she had seen the footage of the Hulk wreaking havoc in Harlem.  It was an indisputable fact that he certainly could be very dangerous – especially if he was provoked – as he obviously was on that occasion.  However, they had already proven that she could easily rationalize with the big green guy where the others had failed to do so.  Plus, she already knew that she would fight to her last breath to keep both Bruce and the Hulk safe.  Therefore, she looked Fury straight in the eye and he could sense the full force of the _Lioness_ behind her words as she all but growled.  “I do understand…and I will do whatever is necessary to protect every innocent life that I possibly can – just like I always have.  However, I can also assure you that no harm will come to _either_ of _them_ – not while they are under my protection.”   With those words, she stormed out of his office.  Fury watched her leave and then leaned back in his chair while a small smile played around his lips.  _Oh, I am definitely in Kingsie’s debt for this one,_ he thought, as he felt one of the many weights lift off of his shoulders as he mentally transferred the responsibility of Banner and the Hulk over to the powerful witch.  _Yes, recruiting Ms. Granger had definitely been the right move – even if she still steadfastly refuses to join my team at SHIELD.  Maybe that’s for the best, though…_

* * *

Bruce had been waiting impatiently outside of the debriefing area for Hermione and Fury to finish. Tony and Steve had brought sandwiches back for the rest of them and they had all eaten while they caught Nat up to speed on everything that she had missed - which was mainly the whole Bruce and Hermione development.  After giving Tony a hard time about the fact that there had been an actual _witch_ under his nose for _two_ _whole years_ and he had not realized it, she turned her attention to Bruce.  After some good-natured ribbing and a bit of bedroom advice, which left the mild mannered scientist with a serious blush (He now had a very good idea about why Hermione had been so embarrassed earlier!) and the rest of the guys laughing, Nat described what had happened during her rescue.  It was obvious that she was impressed with Hermione’s quick and efficient technique, even though she thought there should have been a little more ass kicking!  Clint, however, at this point was tired of waiting to get his Tasha alone and eagerly suggested that they all retire for a few hours until they got back to New York.  The rest of the group then dispersed, even though Bruce predictably insisted on waiting for Hermione.

* * *

 Hermione’s anger had flared fast and hard.  However, it all but disappeared, as she fell exhausted into Bruce’s arms as soon as she exited Fury’s presence.  She declined the sandwich that he had saved for her, so he just led her to their room.  _Their room._  He could not stop the smile that rose to his lips at the thought. Unfortunately, however, once they arrived, it was obvious that Hermione only had just enough energy left to change into her pajamas – which had apparently been cleaned and left on their bed, along with Bruce’s, while they were off on the mission.  Then she slipped between the sheets and was asleep by the time her head hit the pillow.  Therefore, she was completely oblivious when Bruce crawled into bed with her, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to his chest.  Then he fell asleep, as well, while the Other Guy silently stood watch.

* * *

 After just an hour or two of sleep, a relatively well-rested Hermione woke up to the prickly sensation of the stubble on Bruce’s chin against her forehead. Apparently, she had fallen asleep facing him this time.  She was delighted to find herself in his arms again and she just could not resist the urge to stretch up and kiss the adorably scratchy chin.  Bruce’s eyes flew open at her small affectionate gesture and they just gazed at each other for a moment until his eyes flicked down to her lips.  He then moved to cover them with his own. The resulting kiss increased in intensity until a small sound of pleasure escaped her.  That little sigh set him on fire and without even having to think about it, he moved quickly to finish covering her body with his own.  However, just as her hands buried themselves in his hair, and his lips moved down to caress the delicate skin of her neck, a loud clash of thunder followed by a heavy _Thud!_ shook the Helicarrier. 

 “Not again!” she muttered at yet another interruption and she heard Bruce groan, “You have _got_ to be kidding me!” at the same time.  Nevertheless, both of them shot out of bed and ran out into the corridor.  They were still in their pajamas, but ready to confront whatever trouble they found there.  When they reached the big atrium at the end of the hallway, however, they found themselves being greeted by a booming voice.

 “Well met, friend Bruce!”  

 Hermione looked up surprised when the _trouble_ turned out to be a large handsome man with flowing hair who carried a war hammer - and who also slapped Bruce on the back in a companionable way.  Then the man’s eyes came to rest upon Hermione.  As his eyes took in the sight of both her scars and of her general dishevelment, he smiled knowingly before adding, “and may I request an introduction to your Warrior Lady?”

 Bruce sighed in resignation before he made the introductions.  “Hermione, I would like for you to meet Thor.  Thor, this is my…um…Hermione.  She is the newest member of our team.”

 “Indeed!” rumbled the obviously impressed newcomer.  “And pray tell _what_ , dear Lady, besides beast taming,” here he paused to wink roguishly at Bruce, “is _your_ specialty?” 

 His courtly manner of speaking amused Hermione and she smiled warmly at him.  Before she could answer, though, Tony breezed in.  He had obviously taken the time to dress and even managed to style his hair before he came out to greet the new arrival.  “Thor, old friend, I thought that was you.  I can recognize your dramatic entrance anywhere.  You’re late, by the way!  You’ve already missed all of the fun!  Oh, I see you have met our new Witchy Lioness friend.  I picked her up at a bookstore, you know!” Tony then just smirked as he looked between Hermione and Bruce - obviously highly amused by the thought of what Thor’s arrival had apparently interrupted.

 “Witchy? Lioness?  Bookstore?”  The Asgardian asked, obviously confused, as Fury and Maria entered the room and greeted the last Avenger to arrive on the scene.  They were finally followed by Clint and Natasha, who looked even more disheveled than Bruce and Hermione did.  However, they at least had stopped to dress before coming to greet their friend. Steve came in right on their heels.

 Hermione looked over at Bruce, who just gazed back at her apologetically and with obvious disappointment.  It was clear that they were not going to be able to sneak back to their room any time soon.  Therefore, she just sighed, made a few subtle hand movements, and muttered a few words in order to revert their transfigured clothing back to what they had originally been wearing when they arrived on the Helicarrier – which was definitely more appropriate for the occasion.  She also whispered an _Accio_ for Bruce’s shirt from their room.  _Their room._   The thought brought a small smile to her face as she caught the shirt in her hand as it zoomed down the corridor.  She shared the smile with Bruce as she heard the sounds of surprise from several members of the group as she handed the shirt to him.

 “Well, aren’t you full of surprises, little witch?”  Tony murmured appreciatively.

 “Don’t you forget it either,” she teased him right back while Thor looked on in interest.

 “Ah, a Midgardian witch…I think I am beginning to understand now,” his deep voice rumbled as he watched the little display of her power as she magically redressed them.  “It seems as if there is more to this story than I originally thought.  Come, friends, let’s have a drink and you can tell me of your recent adventures! I, myself, have just returned from Asgard with my Lady Jane. However, upon our return, I received your message from the Lady Darcy...I am only sorry to have missed the party.  I take it that the mission was successful, however, since our deadly Black Widow friend is obviously present and well.”

* * *

Their party was now large enough that they retired to the ship’s small mess hall where instead of the mead or Midgardian beer that Thor had been hoping for, they all had to settle for coffee or soft drinks.  However, the last hour of their trip passed quickly in cheerful companionship as they shared stories of what had happened since their last meeting. 

 At first, Hermione sat quietly between Maria and Bruce while she rested her head on the latter’s shoulder while the others talked.  He affectionately wrapped his arm around her and they relaxed into each other as they simply reveled in the obvious closeness and mutual respect of the group.  It was especially nice for Hermione.  It had been a while since she had been a part of something so big – and she really liked it!   She watched the faces of each of her new friends as they spoke and marveled at what a diverse group that they really were and how amazing that it was that they had all been brought together to save the world, but had stayed together out of friendship. 

 Consequently, she was the one who quickly noticed when the Asgardian’s jovial smile slipped as he spoke briefly of what had recently happened to him and his Jane.  Even though he did not speak of it, she recognized his look of loss immediately and reached across the small table to cover his hand with her own as a small token of comfort.  Thor’s eyes met those of the witch and his smile returned.  He had been reluctant to mention the loss of Loki to this group, all of whom his brother had deeply wronged.  However, it was still painfully fresh in his mind and he was grateful for the simple comfort provided by his interesting new friend. 

 He soon realized that she was extremely kind and intelligent, as well - just like his own beloved Jane.  Hermione sensed that he would like to change the subject, however, so the two of them launched into an enthusiastic conversation about the meaning of the ancient runes on Mjölnir (which rested on the table between them).  Hermione recognized the one that translated as “worthy” and was enthralled with Thor’s explanation of the rest of them.  Tony laughed and actually had the nerve to call Hermione a nerd when she conjured a small handheld whiteboard so that they could visually compare the ancient wizarding runes that she knew to his Asgardian counterparts.  The rest of the group laughed at Hermione’s answer, as well.

 “Pot meet kettle…Keep it up, though, and you are going to have to learn how to fight crime in a little Iron Frog suit.”

 “Wait a minute!”  Tony asked, not really sure if he should be amused or horrified.  “You can't really do that, can you?”  Hermione did not even bother to answer.  She just laughed and turned her attention back to her conversation with Thor.

 Bruce, meanwhile, sat back and just watched Hermione while a heady cocktail of emotions ran through his veins.  He felt wave after wave of affection for the lovely witch combined with a strong dose of male pride that she had chosen _him –_ over everyone else _-_ despite his dangerous baggage.  Speaking of which, he was still amazed over her response to his alter-ego.  Thor had thought he was joking when he called her a beast tamer, but that was exactly what she was.  He had never known anybody who had that much influence over the Hulk before – not even him!  He was so proud of her, too, for being able to connect with and hold her own against the rest of the Avengers…and Fury, as well.  Not only that, but he had to admit that his body still thrummed with desire for her…and he just could not wait until they reached New York and were _finally_ able to…well, he just could not wait to see what would happen then.

* * *

 When the voice of the captain buzzed the group in the mess hall to let them know about their imminent proximity to New York, Hermione shared a meaningful look with Bruce, who suddenly could not contain his grin as he recognized that she felt the same anticipation that he did.  She blushed a little as she cleared her throat and spoke to the rest of the group, “Well, that means that we are close enough that Bruce and I can take off without any problems.  It was very nice meeting all of you.  She then leveled a look at Tony.  “Remember what I said.  If you need me, let me know.  If not…

 “Then leave you the hell alone!” chorused Tony and Clint while Steve smiled at the memory.  

 “Feel free to visit or call, though – any of you.  Both Tony and Fury have my info,” Hermione clarified.  Then Maria, Natasha, and Thor (all of whom had not been around to see her in action the first time) were amazed by her, yet again, as Hermione smiled and wrapped her arms around Bruce.  In just a moment, both of them had disappeared with a loud popping noise.

 Once they were gone, Tony turned back to the group.  “Oh, Brucie Boy is _so_ going to get laid tonight!” he exclaimed cheerfully.  The rest of the team showed their agreement by roaring in laughter as they all prepared to head back down to Avengers Tower for a real drink first and then off to their own pursuits after that…until they were all called back together for their next adventure.


	16. An Unexpected Connection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally...the last chapter of BTOG is here! I am so terribly sorry that it took so long, but wrapping up the foreshadowing from the previous chapters, and laying down the groundwork for the sequel, turned out to be much more difficult challenge than I thought it would be. I hope that you like the direction it took...

Hermione and Bruce left their friends and apparated from the Helicarrier straight into the lounge area of her apartment. Suddenly, they found that they could not keep their hands off of each other and the force of the collision between their two bodies shook the bookshelf behind them as he pushed her up against it while his lips eagerly sought hers.  She let out a little moan which he echoed as she returned his kiss passionately.  When she finally had to draw back slightly in order to catch her breath, she looked up into his eyes and smiled again as brown unexpectedly met green! 

She leaned forward and kissed a trail up his neck on her way to whisper in his ear.  “It looks like anger is not the only strong emotion that the Big Guy responds to,” she murmured with a mixture of amusement and appreciation…and then gently bit his earlobe.

Despite the fact that she had him practically trembling from desire for her, those words pulled him back to reality, an unintended effect similar to the feeling of being doused in ice water.   “Oh, Hermione, I’m so sor…” he started to say, as he tried to pull away.  She was determined to not allow him to retreat from her in self-doubt – especially not about _this_ \- so she pulled him back towards her, and cut off the rest of his unnecessary apology with her lips on his. 

“Don’t be!” she murmured firmly against his mouth.  Then she pulled back slightly and smiled up at him gently.  “I am glad that he…approves.  Otherwise, this could all get very…awkward.  He obviously has to be present, too, you know.”

Her words made him pause in amazement.  He had not thought about it in quite that way.  “You don’t mind that he…wants…you, too?” he asked.  He knew that Hermione liked the Hulk, but he thought _that_ was asking just too much from her.

Hermione responded by pulling him back towards her again as she pulled his shirt untucked from his waistband at the same time.  She then started to unbutton it while she renewed her attentions to his neck.  She paused only when he shivered and made another little involuntary groan of pleasure.  “Do _you_ want me?” she then asked him seriously.

“I think it’s quite obvious that I do!” he answered, a little breathlessly, as her hands crept inside of his shirt to stroke his chest and then around to his back to do the same to the muscles there.

“And is he a part of you?” she paused her attentions to ask him bluntly - even though she already knew the answer.

“Yes…he is…but Hermione…” Bruce tried to argue, but she cut him off. 

“Then, no, I don’t mind if he wants what you want!” she told him matter-of-factly as her hands went to his waistband again.   

Despite her calm demeanor, Bruce felt himself snap with the overwhelming feeling of disappointment as he yanked away from her too-tempting hands.  “Dammit, Hermione, please stop and listen to me!  I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.  Obviously, I wasn’t thinking at all…but I just…I can’t do this!  I don’t want to hurt you!  I don’t know if I will be able to control myself if he…” 

“You won’t hurt me…and neither will he!” she insisted, and moved even closer to him as she pressed her body up against his again - determined to make him see the truth of the matter.

“How can you possibly know that?” he asked, desperately trying to get her to see this situation from his point of view.  His body literally ached for her, but he just could not take the chance.  If he unexpectedly changed at the wrong moment…

Just then the Other Guy roared inside of him and made his feelings on the matter known.  _No!_   _Hulk not hurt Pretty Witch!  Never hurt Mate!_ Bruce’s eyes again flashed green with the force of his alter-ego’s emotions.

“See!  I told you so,” Hermione stated smugly as she watched the emotions – fear, disbelief, and then finally… _hope_ …race across his face.

“C…Could you hear him?” Bruce asked in disbelief – while noting in passing that this was actually the third time the Other Guy had called Hermione his _mate_.  He wouldn’t even let himself consider what that might mean right now.

“No.”  The lovely witch just shook her head. “However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t know what he said!”  With those cryptic words, she pulled him close yet again and wrapped her arms around his neck. This time he stayed in her embrace.

“I trust him,” she said quietly, and it was the truth.  She had a special connection with the Big Guy and no matter what anyone else thought, she knew without a doubt that the Hulk was not a mindless animal.  He knew what was at stake and she had his earlier reassurances that he would keep her safe.  “Also, just remember that I have magic…and the change is fast, but not instantaneous.  I will have time to react, if necessary.  Therefore, we’ll take it very slow…if that makes you feel better…and I guarantee that I can make you feel better.”  The last part of that sentence was said in such a low husky voice that Bruce’s arousal immediately came back all in a rush!

He still paused, however, and his eyes searched her face for _any_ sign of fear or distrust – no matter how small.  To his great surprise, he found absolutely none there…just desire...and trust…for _him!_   “Are you…sure?” he asked hesitantly – even in the midst of his rebuilding excitement at the thought that this could actually work out between them!

“So very sure!” she responded and then kissed him so thoroughly that her feelings on the matter could not be left in doubt.  Then she decided that she was tired of waiting and took him by the hand.  She finally led him into her bedroom – where she proceeded to show _both_ sides of him just exactly how sure that she was!

* * *

Bruce woke first and he couldn’t help but to smile at the wild arrangement of Hermione’s hair draped all over his chest.  Then his smile became a huge grin that threatened to split his face open when he felt her lovely naked body pressed up against him, as well.  The memories of the previous night came flooding back and he just couldn’t believe how lucky he had been to find this woman.  Not only had she been able to accept him fully, but she also welcomed his alter-ego and truly treated him as part of Bruce, and vice versa – rather than just some freak that she had to put up with in times of crisis.

In fact, he felt himself flush a little as he remembered how the Other Guy had made his presence known last night.  True to Hermione’s word, they had taken it slowly – because some things in life should not be rushed!  It had been a wonderful experience, and as he neared the edge of his endurance, Bruce had silently pleaded with the Hulk not to take over, to not hurt the wonderful woman that they both obviously cared about…and the Big Guy had not done so.  However, he had come to the surface and shared the moment…right at the end…with a roar that would have put any wild animal to shame.  Bruce had been mortified at first, and then worried that, despite her reassurances, such a situation would be too much for Hermione. 

However, she had just opened those beautiful brown eyes, which she had closed during her own pleasure, and smiled.  “Oh, yes! I definitely agree with that, Big Guy!” was all that she said – to Bruce’s utter amazement.  Then she laughed in that delightful way of hers and pulled them _both_ down for a sweet kiss.  The last thing she said as they curled up together, but before she fell asleep was, “See, I told you that it would all work out!”  In response, Bruce just grinned as he wrapped his arms around her.  He was more than happy to admit being wrong - especially if it was going to turn out in such a pleasant way! 

 ~~~~~

Bruce was brought back to the present as Hermione stirred.  She lifted her head and gave him a soft kiss.   Then she said, “Good morning,” with her signature smile before she sat up and stretched luxuriously – just as she would in her lioness form. 

Bruce watched, mesmerized.  “Yes, it most certainly is,” he breathed and he could feel the Other Guy agree with him.

She could not help but to smile at his implication, and they both shivered as her breasts brushed against his chest when she leaned over to give him another kiss.  “Be right back,” she murmured, her voice full of promise as she slid off the bed and headed into the bathroom.

As she walked away, Bruce admired her feminine form – scars and all – and loved the fact that she already felt comfortable enough with him that she did not feel the need to cover up her nudity.  However, he did notice another scar on her back that he had not seen the night before.  Consequently, he made a point to kiss it gently when she crawled back into bed upon her return to the room. As he then left to take his own turn in the ensuite, it was her chance to admire the impressive view he made as he walked away.  When he returned, he eagerly pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her neck.  He felt the fire reignite in his core as their bodies pressed together again and the Other Guy showed his interest, as well.

_Pretty Witch smells good!_

“Thank you, Big Guy!” Hermione said automatically – and then her eyes widened and she froze as the implication hit both her and Bruce at the same time.

“I heard him!” she whispered at the same time that he exclaimed in a louder voice, “You heard him!”

“How is that even possible?” Bruce asked, looking at her in something akin to awe.

“I think…” she said slowly, “that we must have… _connected_ …in more ways than one last night!”  At her words, the memory of the night before caused him to grin madly _again_.  The combination of the wide smile on his handsome face, her own memories of the previous night, and the feel of his firm body pressed up against hers started a tingling chain reaction that resulted in Hermione giving him a look as predatory as any that she might have had in her lioness form.  Putting aside her surprise at the new development for the time being, she grinned as she pushed him over and straddled his lap.  “Wanna… _connect…_ again?” she practically purred.  There was no doubt as to his… _their_ …answer as she looked down at eyes that vacillated between warm brown and deep green.

“Oh, yes!” Bruce growled as she bent down to claim his lips and his body with her own. 

* * *

Afterward, as they lay happily recovering in each other’s arms again, they discussed the issue. 

“It’s obviously some sort of bond,” Hermione explained confidently as she cuddled into the hollow of his shoulder while her fingers lightly stroked the hair on his chest.  Bruce reveled in the feeling of her in his arms as he listened to her speak.  He never thought that he would be able to have this closeness again…not after his accident…and it felt so very right to be able to have it with Hermione!

Consequently, he just pulled her closer as he asked curiously, “Bond?”

At his question, she glanced up and saw the contented look on his face and could not help but to acknowledge to herself that she felt the same way.  She just smiled at the feeling and snuggled closer to him as she continued to explain.   “A bond is a…magical connection…something that links people together on a deeper level. It’s not an unheard of occurrence in the magical world to share a bond.  There are even many different types of them.”  She spoke slowly while she thought.  “There are parental bonds…sibling bonds…life bonds…and even rare soul bonds – even though they aren’t the romantic sentimental nonsense that most stories make them out to be – especially since they usually occur between very close friends rather than lovers.  However, I don’t know of a bond that will allow someone to speak to another’s alter-ego.    _Hmmm_ …wait a minute…” her voice trailed off in thought again.  Then she bolted out of his embrace and upright in the bed, not realizing that she had exposed her bare breasts again by doing so.  Bruce was momentarily distracted by this, so he didn’t hear what she mumbled at first, which was “Werewolf!”

Then she jumped out of bed, slipped on a long shirt, and he suddenly realized that he was able to pay attention again.  He then watched as she paced back and forth and listened to her mumble to herself.  He could see that she was in the middle of puzzle solving, and he often did the same thing himself when trying to figure out some complex scientific equations.  Therefore, he did not disturb her.  In fact, he thought that the sight of her deep in thought, with her lively hair (as well as other parts of her body) bouncing around as she paced, was magnificent!  He was so caught up in watching her, that she actually startled him a bit when she spoke aloud again.

“I remember that Tonks once said that she talked to Moony – not Remus – but Moony.  I didn’t think much of it back then, but now I realize that Tonks always called her husband by his given name - not his Marauder nickname.  Therefore, I think that she was saying that she could communicate with his wolf…oh!”

Hermione came back to the bed.  Even though she had just sounded as if she had experienced an epiphany about the situation, her face was guarded - almost as if she had pulled on a mask.  Therefore, Bruce could not tell what or how she felt...and that worried him. 

“I…I…think that I need to ask _him_ directly – if that’s okay with you?” she asked quietly as she sat back down next to him.  He nodded his head even though he was unsure if he dreaded the thought of what she was going to hear – or if he looked forward to it.  It depended on what she thought.  Even though he was uncertain about exactly what had happened, he still knew that _everything_ hinged on her reaction.  However, she was still not giving away any hints as to her emotional state when she reached out to touch his face gently and he automatically shut his eyes at the pleasurable sensation.

“Hey, Big Guy,” she said softly stroking Bruce’s cheek, which made the man shiver a little.  _Even simple touches from her always feel nice,_ he thought while she continued to talk to his alter-ego.  “Do you have any idea about why I can suddenly hear you – even though Bruce is still here and I am not in my lion form?”  Bruce suddenly opened his _green_ eyes then and they both could clearly hear the Hulk’s voice in their heads.

 _“Made Pretty Witch mine!”_ the Other Guy rumbled smugly _._

“Oh,” said Hermione with a rising blush that completely pushed aside the blank mask that she had fabricated and threatened to overtake her features.  “Does that have anything to do with what we did last night…and this morning?” 

 _Pretty Witch – Friend – Mate!_ the Big Guy exclaimed…just as he had done several times before…and he sounded quite pleased with himself.

“Mate?” Hermione whispered, and looked away as her breath hitched in surprise when the possible implications of the word suddenly struck her. She paused for a moment before whispering a question in shocked amazement, “So it really is a mating bond?”

She then looked back up into what were Bruce’s startled brown eyes again.  _A mating bond?_ he thought _. Does that mean what I think it does?_ He felt both a rush of excitement and a slight tingle of fear at the thought.  Despite his confusion, though, Bruce nodded.  “He has called you that several times before,” he admitted.  “I did not understand then…and to be honest, I am still not sure that I really understand now.”

Obviously the Other Guy understood, however, since they both heard the unmistakable triumph in his answer as his green eyes flashed _.  “Hulk and Puny Doctor belong to Pretty Witch now!”_

Bruce did not even realize that he was holding his breath nervously until he let it all out in a rush of relief when he saw the small smile that suddenly quirked across Hermione’s face when she heard those words.

“Well…I was not expecting _that_!”  Hermione breathed and Bruce gathered her back up into his arms again.  For a moment there, he had been worried this unexpected development was going to create awkwardness between them where none had existed before.  Even though he was still confused, he certainly did not want _that_ – especially not after the extremely pleasant last few days together…not to mention the physical closeness of the morning and the previous night!  “My magic obviously approves of you both,” she said.  Her voice turned thoughtful as she got a distant look in her eye.  “A mating bond, though…Wow!…It’s all so strange.” Her voice trailed off as Bruce took her hand.  His brain was working overtime, as well, as it tried to process everything.

His mind soon hit a brick wall, though.  As a scientist, he knew he need more data…and probably some caffeine, too.  “Let’s discuss it over some coffee,” he suggested.  “Maybe that will help to clear our heads.”  Hermione nodded in agreement, even though it was clear that she was still deep in thought.  However, they both finished dressing quickly and moved their discussion to the kitchen and dining area.

~~~~~

Hermione gestured for Bruce to sit down at the table while she moved around the kitchen to prepare them both some of the requested coffee.  She hoped that it would do the trick because she knew that this particular discussion would require something stronger than tea…but it was way too early for Firewhiskey.  Not that she had any, but she could always get some from Jack in an emergency, if necessary.  However, she really hoped that this would _not_ become a crisis!  After all, Bruce seemed to be taking the shock of everything so well…and she really hoped that he continued to do so.  The last few days had been some of the best in her life…and she did not want to lose him now.  Therefore, as she worked, Hermione continued to try and explain to him what she thought had happened between them…and she tried to keep her nervousness from being too obvious.

“As I mentioned earlier, even though they do not happen every day, all sorts of magical bonds occur in my world.  Bonds have been reported, not only with witches and wizards, but also with many of the sentient magical creatures that I met, worked with, or even helped over the years. That would include Werewolves, Veela, Goblins, Elves, Centaurs, Merpeople…and several other species, as well.  Sometimes the bonding has even occurred _across_ species – such as one between two different magical sentients or even ones that involve a person.  _That_ would have been the case with Remus and Tonks – a werewolf and a fully human witch.”

Hermione brought their coffee to the table and her hand brushed his as she passed him a mug.  He noted again how pleasant even the simplest of touches felt from her as he watched her hesitate before she went to move her hand.  However, he boldly decided that he was not going to allow her to withdraw from him now, either physically or emotionally, and switched the coffee mug to his other hand so that he could use that one to grab hers and interlace their fingers as she sat down opposite him at the small table.  It must have been the right thing to do because she smiled brightly and squeezed his hand with her own.  She then continued her explanation with the matter-of-fact ease of someone who was used to teaching or giving presentations – even though the topic in this instance was extremely personal.  The scientist and researcher in him noted and appreciated that, however. 

“In such cases,” she explained, “those who experienced a mating bond reported knowing it from the very first time they sealed the deal by…well… _mating_.”  Her professional demeanor slipped a little here as a faint blush crept along her cheekbones when the word brought back the extremely pleasant memories from their activities of the morning and the previous night.

Bruce watched as the pink spread, only enhancing her already pretty features.  He realized then what she was thinking about and the memories rose unbidden in his mind, as well.  He thought of her coming undone beneath him the night before (and above him that morning) and experienced such a strong physical reaction to those memories that he had to squeeze his eyes shut – just so she would not see the green that he knew was shining there.  He had to keep the Other Guy calm or he was sure that Hermione would hear his opinion on the matter – which mainly consisted of _taking his Pretty Witch mate right then and there again on the kitchen table_.  He just didn’t know how she would feel about that right now – especially after the revelations of the morning.  Thus, he was relieved when she just squeezed the hand that she was still holding and continued to explain.  That meant that she had not noticed anything amiss and she had not heard the Other Guy.  _Thank goodness for that!_ he thought.

“However, _this_ is different,” she continued to explain as she set down her cup and gestured between the two of them with her free hand since Bruce still held the other one.  “It would make perfect sense if the Hulk was a magical creature,” she said thoughtfully, “but we know he is more of a scientific creation than anything,” she paused for a moment as she looked at him.  Her eyes suddenly widened as a thought occurred to her.  “Unless… _hmm_ …I wonder…How much do you know about your family history?”  At that question, he finally spoke up for the first time since leaving the bedroom and insisted that he didn’t know about anyone beyond his parents.  Hermione nodded her understanding.

“That also makes sense, in a way, because I am willing to bet that you probably had some magical ancestors…a witch or wizard…or more somewhere down the line.  If that is the case, perhaps you even had some latent magic of your own.  Maybe it was even stimulated by your lab accident with the gamma radiation.  Perhaps _that_ is what created the Hulk – a combination of science and magic…and that is why you haven’t been able to find the cure!"  She paused to sigh regretfully.  "I guess we will never know for sure, though, because it certainly wouldn’t be safe to try to replicate _that_ particular scenario!”  They both fell silent as they pondered that incredible hypothesis.  Bruce had to admit, though, that it made as much sense as any of the rest of the improbable situation in which they found themselves. 

Hermione then looked away from him, and he could tell that she felt uneasy, as she inserted another quiet thought into the conversation.  “At any rate, that brings up another important question,” she mentioned quietly and hesitantly.  “Mating bonds usually result in…well…the natural aftermath of mating.”

“Babies…children,” Bruce stated and shifted uneasily in his chair as he realized the direction this conversation was taking.

Hermione nodded and continued to look down at the table.  Even from that angle, Bruce could see her face fill with emotion as she whispered.  “That doesn’t make sense though…because of the torture…I am not physically able to…I just _can’t!”_ He squeezed her hand to show his support while the Hulk just growled in anger at the thought of what had happened to his mate.  “It’s alright, though,” Hermione continued after she managed to get her emotions under control. “I have always planned to adopt one day, anyway.  There are plenty of magical children out there who are abandoned by Muggle parents once their accidental magic manifests…and lots of nonmagical children who are given up by wizarding parents, as well.  All of them need love and a mother!” 

At these words, Bruce had a sudden thought of what a fantastic mother this strong woman would be.  However, before he could pursue that intriguing idea further, or had a chance to insert himself into that fantasy, Hermione finally met his eyes again and smiled weakly.  Then she paused and looked at him even more intently as another thought occurred to her.  “The more I think about it, I really don’t believe that we are dealing with _just_ a mating bond here – especially since I wouldn’t think that you would be able to father children, either – not with the amount of Gamma radiation that you must have absorbed during your accident.”  She looked at him questioningly.

“I don’t think so either,” he admitted.  “However, I’m not exactly sure because I have never had a reason to fully test that hypothesis…before now.”  He paused.  “To be honest, I never thought that I would ever be in a situation again where it would be an issue.  At any rate, even if I was physically _able_ to do so, I would not dare to take the chance that any child of mine could inherit my…um…mutation.  I will _not_ be the reason that an innocent child has to become a monster!” 

Hermione shook her head sadly, but forcefully.  “I have known real monsters, Bruce.  They are the ones that did this to me.  You are not one…and neither is the Hulk…or I would not want to be with either of you.”  She paused and his heart swelled with the meaning of her words. “However, believe it or not, I understand what you mean…I really do,” she continued.  “It was the same when Remus was afraid that Teddy would inherit his lycanthropy.”  She paused in thought again before slamming her free hand down on the table in sudden irritation.  “Bollocks!  I just don’t understand!  None of this makes sense.  I feel like I am missing a piece of the puzzle somehow…and just so you know…I _really_ dislike not knowing about something.”  A ghost of a smile crossed her lips at this thought and Bruce found that he could not stop his lips from quirking, either – especially since he knew that he was the exact same way.  A second later, she met his eyes and giggled.  Then he had to hold back a snort of laughter at the irony of it all. All of a sudden, they both realized that the tense atmosphere had completely faded away.

“So…” Bruce ventured, grateful for the lighter mood again as he squeezed her hand and tried to wrap his head around this incredible series of events in order to piece all of the information together. “Basically, you think that your magic and my…whatever it is…wanted for us to be together?  A British witch and an American Gamma radiation…um…beast,” he said, trying to avoid the word _monster_ , again – especially since it had upset her the first time. “Are you saying that we were drawn together in the middle of a battle with interdimensional beings in the hopes that we would eventually end up in bed together?”

Despite her own confusion on the matter, Hermione snickered a little at his wording.  “Not exactly, Bruce.  I believe that _whatever_ this bond is, it was not the _cause_ of our connection.  It was the _result!_   My magic obviously approves of you and the Big Guy.  I can feel that it _likes_ the two of you.  We came together of our own free will…and my magic…well…apparently it just wants to keep you two around.  Therefore, it has given us this gift: the ability for all three of us to communicate at the same time now.”

Bruce did not really know how worried he had been about that issue until he felt his tense body suddenly relax at the knowledge that Hermione had _really_ chosen him after all and that she had not been forced to do so by magic.  All of the wonder that they had experienced together had not been coerced.  What was between them was _real…_ and somehow the Other Guy had known it all along…ever since the very beginning!  _Maybe there really was some magic somewhere in our lineage after all,_ he thought wonderingly.  Then he realized with another shock just how much he had accepted the Other Guy’s role in all of this…and how he was beginning to realize just how connected the two of them really were. Accepting the Hulk as a true part of himself was something that he had fought tooth and nail against…until Hermione had come along.  He could not help but to consider what that meant for them all - especially in the current situation.

Meanwhile, Hermione sneaked another peek at the handsome man who sat just across the small table from her.  He was still holding her hand, but she could tell that he was deep in thought.  She could also see that some sort of internal conflict, and not the usual one with his alter-ego, either, seemed to be raging inside of him.  She sighed heavily and let go of his hand as she took an educated guess as to what it concerned. 

“Bruce, I know that all of this is new and strange to you.  However, I want you to know that this is _not_ a trap.  I won’t force you into anything.  Apparently, the bond…has been…um…completed,” she said slowly.  “The fact that I can now hear the Big Guy proves that.  However, we still have our own free will.  We can still part on amicable terms and lead a very normal life…apart…if that is what you want.  I know that all of this has been a completely unexpected shock – especially for you – since you had no idea that such things were even possible before today.  We are also both adults here and I realize that what could have been a simple night of…well…fun…turned out to be much more complicated than either of us could ever have possibly imagined.  Therefore, if you find that this is all too much for you, then I won’t ask you to stay…and I will not think badly of you, either.  That just would not be fair to you…either of you.”  She then dropped her head again so that he would not see her face reflect her sadness at the very thought of his leaving.  Instead, she traced the pattern on the table with her finger to give him the chance to think without being watched.

At her last words, Bruce felt a quiet tug from the Other Guy as both he and the Hulk looked across the table at Hermione with a swirl of both color and emotion in his eyes.  He wanted to see how she felt, but she refused to make eye contact.  She was still looking down at the table as she traced the wood grain with her finger.  He remembered her doing the same thing in the lounge at the Tower while she was trying to get information about the Hulk.  _It must be a nervous habit of hers,_ he decided. He found it appealing…just like everything else about her…and suddenly he knew he didn’t want to lead a life apart from her.  He wanted to spend his life _with_ her.  Even in the short period of time that he had known her, he already knew without a doubt that she was the only one for him.  The Other Guy agreed with this thought instantly.  Therefore, he gathered every ounce of courage that he possessed…and reached over to grab her hand again as he told her so.

He then watched as relief flooded her eyes and her body sagged as the tension suddenly left it.  _She had actually been worried that I would not want her!_ he thought in disbelief. _As if that could ever happen!_ He stood up from the table and immediately pulled her into his arms and set about to clarify that misunderstanding immediately.

After their tender kiss, he asked, “So your magic thinks that I am the man…or men…for you, does it?”

She looked up and gave him a cheeky grin, “That does seem to be the case…yes.”

“Good…because I…we…know that you are the woman for us!” was his simple and heartfelt answer.  However, the look he gave her was far from simple and it seemed to reach deep down inside of her very being.  It conveyed a wild combination of relief and a sense of belonging…as well as the sheer need and want that he felt for her.  It even held the tantalizing possibility of something much more…

She allowed herself to get lost in that look as she answered him with a tender smile before she spoke.  “Now that we have that settled…” Her voice trailed off as she grabbed his hand and led him back into the bedroom 

“Hermione?” Bruce asked, the confusion…and hope…clear in his voice when she stopped suddenly and pushed him up down on the mattress.

Instead of answering him right away, she gave him a sultry look that sent a heat wave straight down to his core.  His response was immediately obvious as she pressed up against him and looked deep into his eyes before speaking.  “Oi, Big Guy…” she murmured seductively and watched with pleasure as the brown faded from his eyes to be replaced entirely with green.  “Can you show me exactly what you were thinking about doing to me on the kitchen table this morning?”

After the initial look of surprise flashed in his eyes, it turned out that both the Other Guy and Bruce were more than happy to honor her request.

* * *

“Fortunately, it’s Saturday.” Hermione mentioned afterwards when they _finally_ took a break to actually eat something in order to fuel their pleasantly strenuous activities.  “Even though _TT &T_ is open downstairs, I always force myself to _not_ work on Saturdays.  I am afraid that, otherwise, it will become a habit…and I would never get to leave the store and get some fresh air!”  She paused to laugh.  “At any rate, nobody will miss me today.  Plus, tomorrow is Sunday and _TT &T_ is closed.  At some point, I need to visit the reference section on the other side to research this strange bond and all the crazy things that happened today…and you can help, if you’d like.  I know that your assistance would be invaluable – especially since you are no stranger to research - and you probably want to know what is going on, as well.  Plus, I still need to answer Viktor’s message and postpone that dinner, but otherwise I have no plans.  That means that we can have the whole weekend to ourselves…if you want to stay…”  Her words were abruptly cut off by the sudden arrival of Bruce’s lips on her own.

“I love the sound of that!” he exclaimed honestly and cheerfully at the thought of spending a couple of free days with her, even if all they did was research.  Although, he knew that he certainly would not turn down the offer of anything more…physical…during that time, either!  However, just being with her would be enough.  With these pleasant thoughts, he pulled her in for yet another kiss before the Other Guy came up to the surface and demanded one for himself.  She gladly acquiesced and this momentarily left Bruce to marvel at just how amazing his life had become in such a short time.  He could not wait to see what would happen next with this lovely and wonderful witch…who, in addition to whatever else they may find out from their research, was also apparently his…and the Other Guy’s…perfect mate!  She had bewitched them _both…_ and neither of them wanted it any other way!   


End file.
